Teri Zubick Surgery Abroad May 2022

We are fundraising for my sister Teri Zubick.

 

Teri is 35 years old, married to a wonderful husband and a mother of three beautiful girls, aged 11, 9 and 7. Teri was diagnosed with an extremely large Tarlov/Intrasacral meningeal cyst on her spine. The cyst is so large and destructive that it has been eroding and thinning her sacrum which is located at the base of the back and connected to her pelvis. The cyst is causing blatant compression of multiple sacral nerves and her condition is very rare and complicated.

 

Teri’s condition has been rapidly declining since the summer of 2021 and she has been off work since December 2021. She spends 90% of her time lying down which is the only position in which she can attempt to ease some of her extreme pain. Further delays for surgery risks permanent nerve damage and will continue to erode her sacrum which is not repairable. She is in chronic daily 24/7 pain.

 

Teri is part of a support group with others that have this condition around the world and through research she has confirmed that there are a couple of surgeons that have successfully done this surgery.  Very few surgeons in Canada have seen this condition and no surgeons in Canada have done the operation successfully.

 

With the support of her General Practitioner, she has made the difficult decision to seek surgery from an experienced surgeon overseas, the surgeon there has done this surgery many times, is confident in his ability and has confirmed the urgency of her condition. Teri’s quality of life and chances of living pain free require her to travel and commit to private healthcare aboard which is not covered by Alberta Health Services. Her surgery is very expensive, and it is the only viable option left.

 

We need your help to raise the funds she needs to get this surgery.