Cape Breton mom fights to get family to Toronto hospital

A single mother in Cape Breton is appealing for help to get her children to a medical appointment next week at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto.

Nichol MacNeil's four-year-old son, Devon, suffers from a digestive condition known as severe gastroesophageal reflux disease or GERD. Severe GERD is a chronic digestive disease that occurs when stomach acid and bile wash back into the esophagus.

MacNeil said the condition causes her son to throw up almost every day.

Several trips and surgeries to the IWK Heath Centre in Halifax haven't fixed the problem. MacNeil called the trip to the Hospital for Sick Children her last hope.

"He's a complicated little boy," she said.

"They told me in Halifax his esophagus will start to deteriorate over time from the acid if they can't get it resolved."

In addition to severe gastroesophageal reflux disease, Devon also has cerebral palsy and suffers seizures.

MacNeil hopes specialists in Toronto can help when they see her son on March 5.

"We're hoping maybe they've seen something similar to Devon, where the IWK hasn't had a case like him," she said.

A medical charity called Hope Air will pay for MacNeil and Devon to fly to Toronto, where they'll stay for free at the Ronald McDonald House close to the Hospital for Sick Children.

But MacNeil's older son — a seven-year-old — doesn't qualify for a free ticket and she has no one who can care for him. She said she has no choice but to look for donations to help pay for his flight to Toronto.

"We're trying to get some funds going, I'm just asking for one thing and just hoping to get our other son with us," said MacNeil.

The provincial Department of Health and Wellness helps cover costs for medically necessary travel, but only for a patient and if needed, one escort.

MacNeil said that coverage should be extended when single parents have no option but to take other children with them.

The TD Canada Trust branch in Sydney is accepting donations on MacNeil's behalf.