Help James and Kate

In mid-February, James underwent a long-awaited open heart surgery at St. Paul’s Hospital in Vancouver to treat the symptoms of his genetic chronic illness, a serious case of hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy. You may have shared/donated to a GFM in the spring to help with James' recovery. Recovery has unfortunately been a very rocky road. Though the surgery was successful, James has experienced many complications that have led to significant financial strain on the couple's already heavily reduced income.

At the end of September, after nearly 8 months of extreme pain due to sternal nonunion following the open heart surgery, James received an emergency sternotomy at Vancouver General Hospital. Unfortunately, he suffered multiple pulmonary embolisms while at VGH, which extended his hospital stay significantly. Kate has missed a lot of work due to traveling and staying in Vancouver for the surgeries, as well as needing to be home to help take care of James during his recovery. She spent $900 on accommodations alone to be near the hospital during the most recent stay in Vancouver. She is currently on an extended, unpaid leave from both of her service industry jobs, leaving the couple with Jame’s disability as their only source of income. Kate's mental health has also suffered from intense, prolonged stress, only exacerbated by financial hardship, further adding to her need to be on leave from work.

Thankfully, James is back home now and doing better every day. However, he still needs full time care for the next little while. This means Kate will be a full-time, unpaid caregiver until Jame's care needs have lessened.

James and Kate are two of the most compassionate, kind, and generous human beings you will ever meet. James is also a father to two amazing young boys, one of whom has special needs. Please join us in helping this family. They have had an unimaginably difficult year, and the hope is that we can help alleviate some of their financial burden so they can focus on Jame’s healing.