My Journey with GBS

  Addiction. What is a addiction? For me, alcoholism, drug abuse and sex addiction comes to   mine. Definition for addiction is an inability to stop using a substance or engaging in a behaviour even though it is causing a psychological and physical harm. It should be noted - addiction does no only refer to dependence on drug substances.   Working in Health Records as a coding specialist, and type of addiction falls under the umbrella of mental health disorders. Having alcoholism in my family history, one wonders if this is passed on genetically. There is being an alcoholic but there is being a “dry alcoholic”. Another term is called “ Dry Drunk Syndrome ” which describes somebody who has stopped drinking alcohol, but who still engages in “the actions and attitudes that characterized the alcoholic prior to recovery ”. In my 20s and early 30s, to me drinks like Hard Lemonade drinks, Rum & Coke or Long Iced Tea were like water. Had no problem downing those drinks. I re...

 Some more videos of during my trial of a powered wheelchair 🦼 using the Vigo technology with Bluetooth to move my chair with head movements.

 Received great news yesterday (Oct 13, 2021) - AADL (Alberta Aids to Daily Living) has officially approved my application in purchasing a powered wheelchair 🦼. They will be purchasing the wheelchair itself, the cost of the tilting mechanism (~$3500.00) plus granted me another $4000.00 towards the cost of the Vigo technology to run the wheelchair. Maximum Healthcare is the name of the vendor providing me with the wheelchair as well as other accessories to help with my daily living such as a lifting of the wheelchair seat so that I can speak to someone at eye level for a change. The total cost for me will be $8003.00 for upgrades and accessories. So just like buying a new car or a house even, that is what has gone into purchasing my powered wheelchair. There is the basic powered chair (~$20,000) + all the upgrades (~$12,000) Excited to see what doors will open, literally. The major accomplishment for me, is going through the door of the sunroom area. My manual chair’s width prevent...

  2021 in now in the Autumn Season. It has been a long year so far. I began the year suffering from Covid-19 (original virus). Followed by a few weeks of depression triggered by going “cold turkey” after steroid medication to help heal my lungs along with supplementary oxygen. I was happy that I was able to receive the care at my facility and didn’t have to be admitted to the hospital. March 2021 was the time of hoping to find some answers about my GBS disease - so I had a MRI of my spine and brain. Sadly, it wasn’t what I was hoping for. Hopes dashed, reality sucks. It was good to know there were no issues with my spine, but no picture to say my paralysis would improve. BAM!! Reality hit me like a ton of bricks. It was tough to feel joy. How could I? All my hope and my wish to get my hands back to go to my career was completely dashed. This has been a tough pill to swallow having to realize I will be, moving forward, remain a quadriplegic from shoulders down and will need to livid...

  September 20, 2021 Dear AADL Application Board. Hello my name is Laura Jean Rutherford. I am 51 years old and have been living at AgeCare-Skypointe since August 5, 2018 on a LTC unit. September 9, 2016 I was diagnosed with Guillian Barre Syndrome (GBS) - Acquired Motor Sensory Axonal Neuropathy (AMSAN). Due to extensive damage to the axonal component of the peripheral nerves, I have been left as a quadriplegic from the shoulders down, with limited extremity movements. I require total care as I am unable to perform any of my daily basic needs.  Aside from GBS-AMSAN, I am morbid obese, as well as have a neurogenic bladder and bowel, edema of my extremities and have long term indwelling Foley catheter. I am in constant pain due to the neuropathy and ongoing tingling and numbness associated with GBS-AMSAN. With the multiple comorbities I am dealing with, I have been referred to multiple specialists - neuromuscular physician, gynaecologist, nephrologist, dermatologist, resp...

  September 7, 2021 Dear Honourable Jason Kenney (Premier of Alberta), Honourable Tyler Shandro (Minister of Health for Alberta) and Dr. Deena Hinshaw (Chief Public Medical Officer of Alberta). Hello. My name is Laura Jean Rutherford. I am a Calgary resident living in a Community Care Living facility on a LTC unit. I am 50 years old. I need to live in this facility as I contracted a virus which caused an autoimmune disease - Guillian Barre Syndrome, which has left me a quadriplegic. I have resided at my facility since August 2018, therefore experienced what it is like living in LTC during a national/global health crisis of COVID-19. I have also worked in the healthcare field for over 25 years in the Health Records Department in acute care hospitals. During our second wave (October 2020 to February 2021), our facility was hit the hardest in Calgary with over 350 COVID-19 cases of residents and staff and too many preventable COVID-19 deaths, in my opinion, due to the UCP governme...

  Monday, March 15, 2021 Dear Honourables Michael Gravelle, Judith Monteith-Farrell, Patty Harju and Dr. Marcus Powlowsky.  My name is Laura Jean Rutherford, and I am currently a resident at AgeCare-Skypointe Community Care facility in Calgary, Alberta on a Long Term Care unit. I have lived in Calgary since March 2005. I was born, grew up and lived in Thunder Bay for 34 years (Sept 1970 to March 2005). You must be wondering why I am writing to the politicians representing NWO constituents in both the federal and provincial governments. There is a simple reason - you are all failing the citizens during this second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic, who live in the NWO communities including the city of Thunder Bay. I might not live in Thunder Bay now, but I care what is happening to my hometown as my parents and friends still live there. I am writing this letter advocating for my dad (82 years old), my mom (78 years old) as well as being a voice to any citizen of Thunder Bay and...

  Tuesday, February 16, 2021 Dear Honourable Tyler Shandro. I am writing to you again to express my concerns on the decision making and the lack of leadership in respect of your ministry to the Covid-19 response. You have failed me, my fellow residents who live in community care facilities and you failed Albertans in general. So disappointing and irresponsible.  Watching you at a few of the recent Covid briefings, I am confused of your sudden concern for Albertans’ public health and the strain to our healthcare system due to the new UK and South African variants. At your briefing where you mentioned the seriousness we needed to be aware of these more highly contagious and deadlier virus. At this briefing we had 20 cases with the UK variant and 5 cases with the the South African variant. We now have 171 Variant cases. My question for you Minister Shandro, where was this concern for Albertans and the worry of strain to our healthcare system in early November 2020 when we w...

  We are into a new year - 2021. 2020 - Year of Covid is now in our rear view mirror. But is it really? Sadly no, we are dealing with consequences of COVID-19 pandemic as it surges on into 2021. It probably won’t subsidize until late fall 2021 when the federal government of Canada predicts that any Canadian who wishes to be vaccinated, will be and can be. Though the virus has spread rapidly in a short period of time globally, the vaccination of 6-7 billion people will take time. To have multiple pharmaceutical companies developed and trialled to being accepted by US, UK, EU and Canada’s Health management agencies to approve the trial results and determining it safe to give to Canadians less than a year from it began here has been a huge accomplishment. That should be recognized, as a silver lining to awful pandemic of 2020 we have endured.   This pandemic has opened the eyes to many people of all walks of life. There hasn’t been one sector of the human society that has not b...

 January 4, 2020 Dear Honourable Jason Kenney, Premier of Alberta.   I find myself writing to you yet again to express my concerns about Alberta’s response to COVID-19. I have sent your office numerous correspondences, mostly recently on Dec 28, 2020. I have strong concerns about the extent to which the government of Alberta’s plans will protect the lives of Albertans.  I currently reside live at the AgeCare-Skypointe Community Care Living Facility which houses approximately 350 residents. We are situated in the upper NE quadrant, which is located in Calgary’s ‘hotspot. AgeCare-Skypointe has been in the news since Dec 26, 2020 due to the major COVID outbreak at my facility.  Our first COVID positive case occurred on Oct 11. Subsequently, all residents were forced to quarantine in our rooms for a minimum of 14 days. As of today, many residents, myself included, remain cooped up in our small rooms (roughly 350 square feet) for the foreseeable future.  What...