London, Ont., family raises $500K for daughter's U.S. surgery after being denied funding

A London, Ont., father and daughter who have been fundraising for a major surgery in the United States have now surpassed their goal and are moving ahead with a potentially life-changing procedure that no doctor in Canada would perform.

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Sydney Gesualdi in 2023, before she was rear-ended at a stop sign leaving her unable to walk. She plans to get surgery in New York early next year. (Submitted by Sydney Gesualdi)

A London, Ont., father and daughter who have been fundraising for a major surgery in the United States have now surpassed their goal and are moving ahead with a potentially life-changing procedure that no doctor in Canada would perform.

After getting rear-ended at a stop sign in 2023, Sydney Gesualdi, now 27, was diagnosed with cranio-cervical instability, a condition involving excessive movement between the skull and the top two vertebrae in the neck, leading to her in ability to walk, difficulty breathing, and numbness in her face and limbs.

She was denied spinal consultations by at least eight doctors in Canada, leading the family to consult a neurosurgeon in New York, who recommended cranio-cervical fusion surgery to fuse her skull to her spine—a procedure costing more than $490,000 CAD.

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