Fort St. John woman with rare brain condition receives community support for surgery

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — The community has been rallying behind a local healthcare worker after she was diagnosed with a rare brain condition which requires surgery.

Shondra White started a fundraising page for Michelle Worton after she was diagnosed with a symptomatic pineal gland cyst in August.

Worton has a tentative surgery date of November 20th, 2023, in South Carolina with Dr. Sunil J. Patel.

The surgery costs approximately $150,000, not including travel or accommodation costs.

Many community members and organizations have donated to Worton individually or through the GoFundMe set up by White.

On Sunday, Candace Soderberg, a Cornerstone Yoga Collective’s founder, hosted a by-donation yoga class in support of Worton, with a minimum cash donation of $20.

The Fort St. John Professional Fire Fighter’s Association donated $10,000 to Worton on Saturday for her travel expenses.

Bernie’s Dog Stylin’ offered a by-donation nail clipping on Saturday, joined by Peace Coffee and Baking Me Crazy, raising $1,880.25.

Red Barn is also still offering its support. When customers order Worton’s favourite sandwich, the turkey club, the business will donate half of the proceeds from the sale to her over the next couple of weeks.

Worton told Energeticcity.ca that a resident, Troy Ramstead, has also helped with her return flights next month.

Dan Davies has also been advocating for her on the provincial level, aiming to speak with Health Minister Adrian Dix for funding for out-of-country care.

“I am overwhelmed with love and support from our community, and I don’t think I’ll ever be able to express my gratefulness to each and everyone for their kindness and support,” Worton said.

“I am hopeful for recovery, renewed health, to regain my independence and to serve our community once again. My family and I are so very grateful.”

Before December 2021, Worton said she had no evidence of health issues, and it wasn’t until her second COVID-19 vaccine on December 16th that her neurological symptoms suddenly appeared.

Worton said she’s had the support of naturopathic and holistic doctors as well as medical professionals who have agreed she’s exhibited decreased vascularity, inflammation and blood viscosity concerns.

She said she is in the final stages of the Vaccine Injury Support Program provided by the Government of Canada, and they are reviewing her claim.

A Burnaby neurologist told Worton that the vaccine can cause chemical changes, which she believes caused the cyst. Dr. Sunil J. Patel’s research looks at the chemistry of a symptomatic pineal gland cyst requiring surgery for this reason.

“Their research identifies that chemical changes within the gland may very well be the causation of a symptomatic cyst, creating a constellation of neurological symptoms,” said Worton, noting that the research is ongoing.

She said her experience with the province’s healthcare system has not been overly positive.

She said the internal medicine doctor she saw on August 21st was kind and supportive of initiating further consultation within the province. However, Worton said her most recent neurology appointment with a doctor in Burnaby was “nothing short of unprofessional.”

She said he indicated he would not support the surgery recommendations and would also not refer her to anyone else to consult with.

“His comment was the surgery is high risk. I said so are trial drugs, and they are only meant to manage symptoms with no research to show efficacy,” Worton said.

“Where this surgery has a high success rate and excellent prognosis of rehabilitation afterwards.”

As of this week, approximately $44,526.99 has been raised for Worton between the GoFundMe and other fundraisers.

If the fundraising goal of $150,000 is not met by November 3rd, Worton says she will have to reschedule the surgery to January 2024.

Worton says she has gone so far as to sell some of her own assets to meet her goal in time.