Parents of 18-month-old girl in Montreal diagnosed with life-threatening illness – Montreal
Less than a year ago, 39-year-old Jazz Turgeon and 35-year-old Patrick Haggart were happier than they had ever been.
After a difficult artificial insemination, the Montreal couple’s daughter Amelia was born and it gave them endless joy to watch her grow up.
“I was just so excited,” Turgeon said. “It felt like everything we had worked so hard for had finally come to fruition.”
“Life was good, and then suddenly it wasn’t,” Haggart said.
In January 2024, the first bad news came. Turgeon went to the doctor after several bouts of dizziness and soon found out that she had a brain tumor that had been growing in her head since childhood.
It is not cancer, but doctors say that can change at any time.
“It’s almost like I didn’t believe it, which I think is part of the process,” she told Global News. “I was completely shocked.”
A little over a month later, on Valentine’s Day, Haggart was doubled over in excruciating abdominal pain. He was taken to the hospital and diagnosed with appendicitis. During surgery, however, doctors discovered something else.
“They told me, ‘You have cancer and you need chemotherapy to save your life,'” he said.
In June, while Haggart was undergoing treatment for terminal cancer, Turgeon’s brain tumor caused her to have a seizure so severe that she broke her spine.
The latest health and medical news delivered to your email every Sunday.
Get weekly health news
Get the latest medical news and health information every Sunday.
“The contractions of the attack actually broke my L2 vertebra, which is a vertebra in the lower back”, she explained.
After weeks of rehabilitation, she can now walk without a crutch or cane. Turgeon now faces major brain surgery to remove as much of the tumor as possible. However, it is located in the part of the brain that controls personality.
There is no guarantee that she will wake up as the same person.
“That’s where who I am lives. When you have a small child like that, it’s very hard because you want the child to know you,” she said.
In recent days, Haggart learned that his cancer has progressed from Stage 3 to Stage 4.
The treatment plan should become more aggressive.
“My fight is to stay alive and take care of my daughter and my wife,” Haggart said. “They need me.”
They both try to keep hope for Amelia and for each other.
“For me, it’s my daughter. She’s everything I’ve ever dreamed of. She definitely gives me strength,” Turgeon said
They are surrounded by many friends and relatives and have received assurances that Amelia will be taken care of in any case.
“We’ve talked to a few people, especially my sister,” she said. “I’m not even 40 yet. You know, it’s very strange to say to my husband, ‘When I die, this is what I want,’ and vice versa.”“
Haggart said he never imagined he would have to sort out his will at age 35.
“We hope for the best, but prepare for the worst, you know?” Haggart said.
Neither of them can go to work, adding to the financial stress. Turgeon says that because she just returned from maternity leave, she was told she hadn’t worked long enough to qualify for paid sick leave.
“At that moment, my heart broke,” she said. “Since I only worked three weeks after returning from maternity leave, I technically don’t have enough hours to apply for sick leave from the state.”
Canada’s Ministry of Employment and Social Development did not respond to a request for comment on Sunday.
Friends have started a GoFundMe campaign to help the family, and they have been encouraged by the outpouring of support.
© 2024 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
