"I will go blind"
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- Published on Sunday, 29 November -0001 16:00
- Written by editor
PAOV — "This is not an elective surgery. I was born with a degenerative eye disease that will cause me to go blind." Sign Michelle’s petition if you think CXL — a sight-saving eye surgery already covered in six other provinces — should be covered in Ontario too.
Petitioning Justin Trudeau, Kathleen Wynne
Kathleen Wynne: OHIP coverage for Sight Saving Procedure: CXL
Petition by Michelle Boich
Ottawa, Canada
8,019
Supporters
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I can’t share right now - Just sign the petition
I am Michelle! I am a career mom with a blended family of 6. I have two beautiful daughters and two wonderful bonus (step) kids that I love to pieces and a loving supportive partner of 10 years. I absolutely love watching all my kids play, interact and enjoy life and the family we have created. I look foward to watching the individuals they grow to be.
I have struggled with my vision from the age of 3. I was diagnosed with an eye disease called Amblyopia. I was nearly blind in one eye and went through years of patching, specialist appointments, glasses and exercises. It was tough as a child but with the loving support of my mom I made it through to a point where I was no longer almost legally blind in one eye. I was able to obtain 20/30 vision where I can function with glasses. I grew to love my glasses as they helped me achieve all the milestones in life my peers were achieving and eventually leading me up to the point where my path in life was very clear: Helping the community achieve their best vision and eye fashion and showing patients the positive side of glasses!
For the past 8 years I have been passionately working my career as Michelle Boich C.C.O.A. I am a Canadian Certified Optometric Assistant who works every day helping the Ottawa community with their eye care needs. I love helping my patients find eyewear that suits their visual needs, helping patients manage eye health conditions and advocating for eye health for all Canadians. I am truly passionate in what I do and I feel that our vision is so important to maintain, protect and manage as eye diseases make such a negative impact on our lives.
I have recently been diagnosed with another eye disease called Keratoconus which is the thinning of the cornea causing BLINDNESS. I now face two options:
OPTION 1: Wait for my corneas to thin to the point there is a hole and I lose my eye sight. OHIP will only cover a corneal transplant as treatment for keratoconus. I will then wait on the organ donor transplant list for a matching pair of corneas. Wait time to find a matching organ donor can be up to 3 years. While I am waiting for a match I will go blind. I will lose the ability to work at my job. I will no longer be able to drive or support my family. We would need to move out of our neighbourhood and into goverment assisted living. Our family would no longer be self sufficient but dependent on goverment funds to live. I would miss seeing their faces every day.
OPTION 2: Pay a medical bill of $6000+ for the sight SAVING procedure called CXL. Corneal collagen cross-linking is a technique which uses UV light and a photosensitizer to strengthen the cornea.
Other Provinces who have already covered CXL with their provincial healthcare programs: YUKON / BRITISH COLUMBIA / ALBERTA / SASKATCHEWAN / QUEBEC / NEW BRUNSWICK
I am petitioning to get CXL covered under the Ontario Health Insurance Program for the treatment of the degenerative corneal disease Keratoconus. This is not an elective surgery. I was born with a degenerative eye disease that will cause me to go blind unless I pay for this laser surgery to stabilize my corneal tissue and prevent further thinning and damage. Please sign my petition and help me raise awareness as I plan to take this as far as I can. Thank you for listening to my story and taking the time to support this cause!
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