A week ago Scott de la Bastide and his family said they were rejecting their doctor’s recommendation for spinal fusion and opting for an alternative called anterior scoliosis correction in the U.S.
Now, the family is ready to move forward with those plans by remortgaging the family home.
Last June, Scott de la Bastide was diagnosed with severe scoliosis which means he has s-curves in his spine that are greater than 50 degrees.
When he was diagnosed the doctor lacked bedside manners, the family said.
“For him, the only thing that was relayed and put onto to the table was, ‘You’re gonna need fusion,’” de la Bastide said. “And I didn’t even know what it was I had to go and research everything myself.”
When the 15-year-old returned for a followup in November with his mother, Sarah Clayton, they hoped to discuss the alternative surgery.
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“When we were discussing this new type of surgery with the doctor he didn’t really want to give us the time of day to discuss that option for Scott,” Clayton said. “He was like, ‘No. he has to have fusion and that’s the only option that we have here for him.’”
The Bastide family is inching closer to placing their first deposit of $70,000. The total cost of the anterior scoliosis correction procedure will be $160,000 U.S.
Their Go Fund Me campaign has so far raised $23,640 out of $200,000.
They are also holding a fundraising concert at Chez Maurice, a local bar, next Sunday.
“I’d just like to say thank you to everybody, people as far away as Austria, are making contributions,” Scott’s father, André de la Bastide said. “This whole community has come together for Scott.
The bulk of the money, they hope, will come from remortgaging their Saint-Lazare house later this week.
READ MORE: Saint-Lazare family starts Go Fund Me campaign to help son with severe scoliosis
André de la Bastide said they will likely need to sell their house in a few years when Scott finishes high school.
“I think who’s going to be hit hardest is Scott,” André said. “Because he doesn’t want to sell the house, sometimes he’s in denial.”
The Bastide family tried to get Quebec’s medical insurance to cover the surgery, but they could not meet the requirement of having two spinal cord experts to sign off on the procedure.
Nevertheless, André filed the application without the signatures, but he is not holding his breath.
“All they said to me was that it would take six months to a year to review,” André said. “When I asked them if we went ahead with the surgery if we would be reimbursed they said we cannot answer that.”
The Bastide’s said they need to move quickly because Scott is nearing the end of his growth spurt.
Scott is also starting a Change.org campaign to raise awareness about spinal fusion surgery.
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