CW: Injury
Joe Gesualdi has been on a mission since August 4. He’s pushing his 27-year-old daughter Sydney’s empty wheelchair from London, Ontario, to New York. He is raising money and hoping the Ontario Health Insurance Plan will pay for his daughter’s spinal surgery. This is happening because Joe is tired of watching the healthcare system fail his daughter.
Three summers ago, Sydney’s life changed forever when she was hit from behind while waiting in her car at a red light. She went to the doctor shortly after the accident. The doctors figured she had a concussion or whiplash.
From there, however, her condition deteriorated rapidly. She started having trouble walking, her arms began to tremble, and she frequently fainted. As time went on, Sydney also found herself having difficulty swallowing and balancing. She ultimately discovered she had craniocervical instability.
Craniocervical instability occurs when connective tissues between the skull and the upper cervical spine elongate or tear, causing excessive motion at the junction of the skull and the C1 and C2 vertebrae. This excessive motion often causes compression or irritation of the brain stem, spinal cord, and surrounding nerves.
Craniocervical instability can occur following trauma like a whiplash injury, because of connective tissue conditions like Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, inflammatory conditions, or following certain types of surgery. Symptoms can include severe headaches, neck pain, dizziness, tachycardia, cognitive issues, sensory issues, nausea, nerve pain, and limb weakness.
The diagnosis explained everything, but it didn’t solve anything. Sydney is mostly bedbound now, and she needs a neck brace and mobility aids. She lives with over thirty severe symptoms. Ten neurosurgeons all agreed she needs craniocervical fusion surgery. The problem is it’s not available in Canada. Dr. Paolo Bolognese at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York is the only surgeon with the expertise she needs. It costs nearly half a million dollars, and the Ontario Health Insurance Plan won’t cover it because it would take place in the United States.
That’s what drove Joe to embark on what he calls Miles 4 A Miracle. He walks in segments, coming home when Sydney needs him. Each morning he leaves their house, and each morning Sydney tells him she loves him and asks him to be careful. He says he is doing what any parent would.
The story of the Gesualdis isn’t unique to Canada, and they certainly aren’t alone. Across the globe, there are countless stories of people who don’t have access to specialized healthcare or, if they do, lack adequate health insurance coverage. To pay for such treatment, many resort to desperate measures.
They create fundraisers online. Other times, they spend their life savings, sell their home, borrow large sums of money, or make difficult decisions about their family’s financial future.
In some cases, those without appropriate healthcare may seek treatment outside their home country, often moving between hotels and/or temporary housing near healthcare facilities as required. Families also separate, allowing one member to focus on employment while another spends more time at home caring for a sick child.
Since London-Fanshawe MPP (Member of Provincial Parliament) Teresa Armstrong began speaking publicly about Sydney’s situation, many families have reached out to her. Many even sold their cars, went into debt, or took out a second mortgage to pay for the surgery in the U.S. Some started fundraisers, hoping the health system they were told would be there for them would not also fall on them. There were families who described living in a nearby hospital’s motel or moving to the U.S. They hoped to at least be close, knowing they wanted their child to have the surgery.
Joe says this walk isn’t just about Sydney. This walk is about every family who has to fight for care that should be available to them. He has met some people who went for the surgery and had life-changing results, and he hopes that the opportunity is available to Sydney as well.
Sources:
Mao, Gordon, et al. “Craniocervical Instability in Patients with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome: Controversies in Diagnosis and Management.” The Spine Journal, vol. 22, no. 12, 2022, pp. 1944–1952. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.spinee.2022.08.008
Sims, Jane. “London Dad Pushing Daughter’s Wheelchair 200 km in Fight for $493K Surgery.” The London Free Press, 24 Aug. 2026. https://lfpress.com/news/local-news/london-dad-pushing-daughters-wheelchair-200-km-in-fight-for-493k-surgery