Waiting for surgery means painful weeks for patients

By Marianne Lassonde, Special to The Record
Waiting for surgery means painful weeks for patients
(Photo : Mary Nellis)

Six months ago, Monika Nellis-Dupont decided she would go through with an invasive spinal surgery to help relieve some of the pain she was dealing with on a daily basis.
But as of January, 2021, the surgery had been postponed three times with no future date in mind.
“They say it could be pushed back to four weeks or even eight weeks,” said Nellis-Dupont. “It is very stressful.”
At four years-old, Nellis-Dupont was diagnosed with a rare degenerative disease called Mucopolysaccharidosis type I (MPS I). This meant she would gradually loose her mobility and eyesight – and for some children it meant a life expectancy of only 10 years. At the time of her diagnosis, Nellis-Dupont was one of only four children diagnosed with MPS in Quebec.
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