Whether we like to admit it or not, the Canadian Health care system is falling apart, affecting Canadians across the continent, especially in the current boomer population.

My wife, Karen Simmons, is one of those boomers. Her hip is falling apart with severe arthritis, and as a result, she is in extreme pain. Her doctors have told her the wait list just to see the specialist who would approve treatment is 6 - 8 months.

The wait for hip replacement surgery after that? 3 - 4 years! Of severe pain!!

She has tremendous swelling on her left upper thigh, which makes it almost impossible to walk. She can’t walk without a cane and is moving towards getting a walker. She’s just too young for that!

The only way Karen can tolerate the pain is with prescribed medication. This is also problematic as it will seriously affect her already damaged kidneys.

She recently talked to a woman who had to wait until her hip broke inside of her body and who had to go by ambulance to the emergency room before the doctor would decide to do a hip replacement. This "management by exception" is a horrible way to deal with the waiting list.

We finally bit the bullet and paid out of pocket to see Gateway Surgery in Calgary for a private consultation. When the doctor finally showed us her X-ray, he told us that her hip was a disaster and that what was going on in our current system was a travesty. He advised us to book a replacement surgery immediately in Montreal with Dr. Hart. The soonest appointment they had available was January 23rd, 2024, so we booked it immediately.

We made the tentative appointment through Gateway Surgery. They transport patients out of the province to Montreal for emergency hip replacements because of the emergent situation in our province. This surgery booked in January must be paid a month in advance, or she loses her spot.

Also, all the extras for the surgery, such as the walker, devices, accommodation, and airfare for Karen and myself as her accompanying companion, must be in place to attend to her recovery time during travel to and from Montreal for a couple of days before and after the surgery.

The budget for this operation:

• Hip replacement operation: $26,000 - hard deadline of December 22, 2023
• Walker: $400
• Additional medical devices: $900
• Special bed, box spring, and accessories: $2,500 (we have to move our bedroom downstairs)
• Airfare for roundtrips for two people from Edmonton to Montreal: $700
• Hotel: $1,600
• Food: $60
  
  
• Total: $32,150

Sadly, we don’t have the funds to pay for this surgery. We have put all our resources into Autism Today, which Karen started in 1998. Through it, she has done a tremendous amount of good in the world. This includes putting on the recent World Autism Summit with 81 experts, all from a chair, of course, and all with volunteers. I have also been right by her side, helping her. She had been desperately trying to make it work to help as many people as she can, with relentless persistence, and has never asked for anything in return. However, her mobility issues have made work very challenging, as she can barely walk at this stage.

We are asking for help from our friends, family, and others in our lives in paying for this emergency treatment. We will put in everything we can, but we hope you will help us get the rest of the way there.

If we can raise the funds, approximately six to eight weeks after the surgery, if all goes well, she will be walking again with very little pain and no pain medication. It will give the rest of her life back to her. She has made it very clear to me that she plans to live to at least 100 like her grandmother and her great-grandmother did. So far, she has me, seven children, two step-children, six grandchildren to live for, and a vast Autism Today community of families, professionals, and friends she will continue to serve.

Now that autism diagnosis is 1 in 23, people need help like never before. Karen has the tools to help them in unprecedented ways, as she has been in the trenches doing this for so long. I need her to be healthy and thinking clearly. Her mental capacity is critically important to her work, as is her health and welfare. It affects each decision she makes.

As her husband, I want to see this pain and suffering stop as soon as possible and not have to wait for our system to take care of her. Her hip is now definitely affecting her at the most critical point of her life, her family, and the health of the autism community at large.

If we can find enough people with kind hearts, I can get her to Montreal and treatment up to three years sooner. Three years without pain.

You can be a hero to us both by giving of yourself and by spreading the word to others. Together, we'll find the members of our community who appreciate that we must share our needs with others when circumstances are out of our control.

My promise to you is that, together, we will not only help Karen fix her hip, but she and I will keep you updated every step of the way on our progress in the healing process. When we post photos and videos of our journey to this campaign, you'll be notified so that you can follow along and see the impact of your generosity.

Please join me and Karen's loyal friends in making this healing journey a reality.

Your kindness and giving are very much appreciated.