Thirteen-year-old Isabella Bush was left with life-changing complications following what should have been a relatively routine knee surgery almost a year ago, but her soccer team has been doing all it can to support her.
“Even though Bella is not on the field, she’s still a part of our team,” says long-time soccer teammate Megan Braga.
The young athlete was back on the sidelines last Wednesday to watch her Junior Gaels teammates for the first time since she underwent surgery to repair a torn ligament in her knee last fall.
During the surgery, she suffered a severe reaction to the anesthetic leaving her with far more serious health problems than she or her family could have imagined.
“The doctor that did the surgery, he did a great job,” says Isabella’s father Trevor Bush. “We just don’t know, somewhere between the end of the surgery and recovery, something happened there and, you know, there’s a lot of things that you maybe could point your finger at. But, we don’t really know yet.”
Isabella, known to her family and friends as Bella, was unable to wake up from the anesthesia used for her surgery, and was given naloxone to help her regain consciousness.
From there, her health progressively worsened — now leaving Bella in constant pain, unable to walk or speak.
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“Almost a year – October 13 is going to be a year since she had the surgery,” says Bella’s mother Yanet Bush. “And right now there’s no more quality of life. It’s very heartbreaking to see our daughter this way.”
An upcoming deep brain stimulation surgery, while an invasive form of treatment, gives the family hopeful for a “miraculous” outcome.
“Our hope is that it just, you know, they turn the switch on and maybe that’s enough to help Bella and get her back going,” says Trevor.
With treatments and therapy in Ottawa and Toronto, the Bush family has spent the past ten months on the road and renting hotel rooms — Bella’s mom even took an extended leave from work to care for her.
Thankfully, the Bush family says the community has always shown them support.
The girls on the Junior Gael’s U14 soccer team all wear her soccer number on their left shoulder, No. 18, playing every game in her honour.
“We all miss her very much and hope she can play with us again,” says teammate Taylor Landon.
To mark Bella’s return to watching them on the field, her teammates presented her with a framed jersey with all of their well wishes written on it.
“It was just super nice to see her and see her wearing the Gaels shirt and everything,” says teammate Keira Wilson. “I hope she knows that we all care about her and we want her to get better, to be able to play with us.”
Friends of the Bush’s are raising funds to help support the family, as Bella gets ready to head to SickKid’s Hospital in Toronto for a procedure that will hopefully bring her back to health, and the things she loves.
They’ve also created an email for direct deposits to support the family, at careforbella18@gmail.com.
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