Sonia Veri
After months of being misdiagnosed and having to advocate for my health, the news was actually a relief.
I knew it was more than recurring sinus infections. My head was constantly throbbing. I lost my hearing and couldn’t walk straight. My body was slowly giving out, until I finally collapsed.
What I didn’t know was just how bad things were.
I needed emergency surgery, but no one wanted to operate on me. It was too risky. Hospitals were turning me down.
Then, someone put a call into Dr. Cusimano at St. Michael’s Hospital.
Within a week, I was on the operating table. It just so happened to be World Brain Tumour Day.
St. Michael’s and Dr. Cusimano saved my life.
While I still have a long road ahead of me, I’m making it my mission to ensure other people like me have access to the kind of care I received.
That’s why I’ve rallied my community to raise funds for St. Michael’s. So far I’ve raised over $6,000 in support of the world-leading neurosurgical care this hospital is renowned for.
Your gifts can save lives like mine.
If you’re inspired by my story, or if you yourself have had a life-changing experience at St. Michael’s Hospital, I encourage you to express your gratitude through a new Foundation initiative called Thank Your Healthcare Champions.
All you have to do is visit ThankYouStMikes.ca or ThanksProvidence.ca to send a message of gratitude to your caregiver, or make a special gift in their honour.
And to start your own fundraiser like me, click here.
Thank you for hearing my story, and for paying it forward!
– Sonia Veri
Dr. Michael Cusimano’s Take
When Dr. Michael Cusimano heard about Sonia Veri’s case, he knew what he was up against.
“We’re talking about an extremely delicate operation within a one inch space. And we’re dealing with things that control your basic human functions like your heartbeat, and your breathing, your swallowing, your speech, your eye movements. And her tumour was affecting all those areas. So, like I said, delicate,” says Dr. Cusimano.
Which is why he doesn’t fault the hospitals and doctors who told her they would not take her because the risk was too high. If you can’t do it, he says, you shouldn’t try. He says his reaction was different, however, because he has the experience, the team, and the hospital.
“I have specialized in complex brain surgery for over 30 years now. And just as important, our team here at St. Michael’s are experts. Everyone, the nurses in the ICU and on the ward, the people who support those activities, right down to the people who bring her the food and clean her room and change her sheets and things. It’s only possible to do this operation with the kind of fantastic team that we have.”
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