A Kelowna family is turning to the community to help give their toddler a chance to walk again.
Last October, Melissa and Ryan Grassmick put their 16-month-old girl, Julia, to bed. When they woke up in the morning, the toddler was paralyzed from the waist down.
An MRI at B.C. Children’s Hospital revealed that Julia had a large blood clot pushing against her spinal cord. Surgery removed the clot, but the injury left Julia without the use of her legs.
“They don’t have very much hope for recovery for anyone with a spinal cord injury, so it’s frustrating and it’s sad and it makes us upset,” Melissa Grassmick said.
The Grassmick’s have found a specialized clinic in Baltimore, the Kennedy Krieger Institute, that is in the forefront of treating children with spinal cord injuries.
“We’re not just going to sit back and go, well, this is Julia’s life now and here’s her wheelchair, she can learn how to use it,” Melissa Grassmick said.
They’re hoping to bring Julia there this fall for two weeks of intensive therapy, and perhaps bring a new rehabilitation program back to B.C. where she can continue the work.
The treatment and travel won’t be cheap, so the community is stepping up with a fundraising effort.
Studio X Fitness in Kelowna is holding the fundraiser on Saturday, July 9, from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. A donation of $10 or more will allow participation in any fitness class. There will also be half hour massages by donation.
All proceeds will be matched by the B.C. Hospitality Foundation, up to $5,000.
The Grassmick’s also have a YouCaring page where donations are being accepted.
Julia’s parents are hoping the most up-to-date treatments, along with their two-year-old’s determination to keep moving, might offer the improvement they’ve been looking for.
“She’s just amazing,” Julia’s Dad, Ryan Grassmick said. “She makes us better people.”
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