A three-year-old Toronto-area girl with cerebral palsy is well on her way to getting the surgery that she needs in the U.S. after family, friends and strangers stepped up to help pay for the costly operation.
Madison Ambos, of Pickering, Ont., suffers from a form of cerebral palsy called spastic diplegia, which causes her pain on a daily basis. Right now, she uses a walker to get around, but her mobility is limited.
鈥淚 can count on my hands the amount of times she鈥檚 actually slept through the night because of the amount of pain that she鈥檚 in,鈥� says her mother, Katherine Ambos told CTV Toronto on Wednesday, during a Toronto fundraiser for her
Katherine said her daughter鈥檚 condition is deteriorating, as her feet have started to 鈥渞oll in鈥� due to tightness, and that her condition may have reached a point where she won鈥檛 be able to put any weight on her lower body or be able to move or walk.
A life-changing surgical procedure called selective dorsal rhizotomy could change that outcome, but it鈥檚 not offered in Canada.
As they sought treatment for Madison, her family looked south of the border, where they found Dr. T.S. Park at St. Louis Children鈥檚 Hospital. Park, a pediatric neurosurgeon, specializes in selective dorsal rhizotomy surgery.
鈥淒r. Park predicts that he can eliminate most spasticity in her lower body,鈥� Katherine said of the surgery.
Madison鈥檚 surgery is booked for May. In the meantime, friends, family and total strangers have stepped up to help pay for the whopping $140,000 operation bill.
A has been set up, and on Wednesday night, Maple Leafs super fan Mike Wilson and his wife held a private fundraiser at their Toronto home for Madison, where they raised $20,000 alone, according to Katherine. So far, a total of $116,000 has been raised for Madison鈥檚 surgery.
鈥淲hat we鈥檙e doing is changing a life forever,鈥� host Mike Wilson told CTV Toronto.
On Thursday, Katherine told 麻豆传媒 Channel that the support has been 鈥渙verwhelming.
鈥淚t鈥檚 been exciting and it鈥檚 just been touching to see how much people really care about her, and want to help her get to St. Louis.鈥�
With files from CTV Toronto鈥檚 Jamie Maraucher
