18-year-old Regina woman raising money to travel to Minnesota for heart surgery
A Regina woman is raising money to travel to Rochester, Minnesota undergo heart surgery at the Mayo Clinic.
Julia Genaille, 18, has Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM), a rare heart disease that causes the thickening of the heart muscle. A doctor diagnosed her with the disease at the age of 12.
“He told my mom, right then and there, that my life was never going to be the same,” said Julia.
She had a pacemaker implanted in her heart six years ago. Following the procedure, she had no symptoms of the disease up until earlier this year. Julia said she has now gone from having a heart disease, to being in stage 3 heart failure.
“She went from being just kind of an average teenager, to not being able to get out of bed, not being able to go for walks, getting so short of breathe that she gets dizzy and has to sit down,” said Jessica Genaille, Julia’s mother.
Julia is scheduled to travel to Rochester in August to have open-heart surgery, which doctors hope will slow the progression of her disease and delay her need for a heart transplant.
“Not only would it be life saving, but it would be life altering. She could be an average 18-year-old again,” said Jessica.
Genaille said the province is covering the cost of the surgery. The only barrier is the cost of travel and accommodations.
“Because of having to quit my job and everything to take care of her during the pandemic and while she’s been getting sicker, that’s a struggle,” said Jessica.
The family has put on several fundraising events, and has now started a GoFundMe page to raise the remaining dollars needed.
“I’ve missed out on a lot of possibilities,” said Julia. “And I really hope that, after this surgery, that I can come back to those possibilities.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Widow looking for answers after Quebec man dies in Texas Ironman competition
The widow of a Quebec man who died competing in an Ironman competition is looking for answers.
Tom Mulcair: Park littered with trash after 'pilot project' is perfect symbol of Trudeau governance
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
World seeing near breakdown of international law amid wars in Gaza and Ukraine, Amnesty says
The world is seeing a near breakdown of international law amid flagrant rule-breaking in Gaza and Ukraine, multiplying armed conflicts, the rise of authoritarianism and huge rights violations in Sudan, Ethiopia and Myanmar, Amnesty International warned Wednesday as it published its annual report.
Photographer alleges he was forced to watch Megan Thee Stallion have sex and was unfairly fired
A photographer who worked for Megan Thee Stallion said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that he was forced to watch her have sex, was unfairly fired soon after and was abused as her employee.
Amid concerns over 'collateral damage' Trudeau, Freeland defend capital gains tax change
Facing pushback from physicians and businesspeople over the coming increase to the capital gains inclusion rate, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his deputy Chrystia Freeland are standing by their plan to target Canada's highest earners.
U.S. Senate passes bill forcing TikTok's parent company to sell or face ban, sends to Biden for signature
The Senate passed legislation Tuesday that would force TikTok's China-based parent company to sell the social media platform under the threat of a ban, a contentious move by U.S. lawmakers that's expected to face legal challenges.
Wildfire southwest of Peace River spurs evacuation order
People living near a wildfire burning about 15 kilometres southwest of Peace River are being told to evacuate their homes.
U.S. Senate overwhelmingly passes aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan with big bipartisan vote
The U.S. Senate has passed US$95 billion in war aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, sending the legislation to President Joe Biden after months of delays and contentious debate over how involved the United States should be in foreign wars.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.