June 2014

1064 Colborne Street, London, Ontario 519-434-6848

Tim and Stacy had the quintessential perfect life. They both had great jobs in the Toronto area and were expecting their first child. Unfortunately a lot of things started to go downhill once their son Wilhelm was born in April 2012. Stacy had problems with her labour and ended up separating her pelvis, which left her in a lot of pain, and took time to recover. Tim took time off to help with his new son, but days after Wilhelm was born, Tim got sick. One day Tim was healthy, the next day he started having episodes where he couldn’t walk, couldn’t speak, or couldn’t feel his limbs. It was shocking to this young family who were trying to nurse Stacy back to health after having this healthy newborn and all of a sudden Tim’s body just stopped working, he couldn’t do anything.

In early 2013 Tim had to be hospitalized due to an episode in which he couldn’t move, and this time the Doctor told them that Tim could no longer work, and had to go on sick leave. Stacy went back to work to try and make enough money to keep their family afloat, but bills were starting to pile up. Tim was at home with a mystery illness that left him unable to take care of their infant son, as it was unknown when an episode would arise leaving it impossible to be left responsible for Wilhelm.

Tim and Stacy could not rely on their family for support as Stacy’s family lived hours away, and Tim’s dad has a brain injury, leaving his mother as the caregiver for his father.

After months of scraping by and trying to pay all of their bills on one income, Tim & Stacy decided it would be best to move somewhere that was less expensive. Their house in Toronto was eating up Stacy’s pay cheque, and Tim was not able to bring in any sort of income as he was having trouble applying for ODSP and CPP.

In the summer of 2013 the family put their house in Toronto up for sale and started looking around for a new place to call home. Stacy put in a request for a transfer at work, and it looked like she would be accepted either in Muskoka or London. They decided that London was a better fit with all the amenities and health care that Muskoka didn’t have. In October, they bought a house in London and commuted back and forth from London to Toronto until a position opened up in London in December.

The family didn’t know many people in London, as their families were in other cities, but they were able to get a doctor in London, Stacy had her job transfer, and they had a house to live in, things were looking up.

A Family looking forward to the future...

Stacy, Tim & WilhelmPhoto credit: Deborah Chambers Photography

The couple started to think that perhaps Tim could take care of Wilhelm when Stacy was at work. The neurologist didn’t find anything abnormal, and Tim was seeing Doctors once a week. They soon came to the realization that Tim could not do this as he tried a couple times before and wasn’t able to care for Wilhelm on his own. They had to come up with something but wasn’t sure what they had for help being in a new city.

Stacy was having a hard time coping with Tim’s health, juggling her work schedule, and taking care of Wilhelm. One evening she decided to look on the internet for organizations in London that could help. Merrymount popped up and she called for more information.

Once on the phone she talked to an intake worker and told her story. The intake worker told Stacy that she needed to come to Merrymount right away. This family needed help, and Merrymount was going to support this family as they got back on track.

In December 2013, Tim and Stacy came to Merrymount to set up a plan, Wilhelm was going to come to Merrymount on days that Stacy was working and when Tim had medical appointments.

Angie, an intake worker, suggested that Wilhelm get set up in a home day care, as it would be more flexible towards this family’s needs. Angie was able to set up subsidy to make day care possible, and also got the family in touch with someone who could help Tim get his applications for ODSP and CPP organized.

Stacy doesn’t ask for anything, she has a lot of pride, but now that her family is calm and on track she is a lot happier, and looking forward to the future. “Our family would not be where it is today without the support of Merrymount. Merrymount is amazing! They were able to set us up with the right people so that our family can stay together.”

This family has a plan now. Wilhelm goes to his home day care on a regular basis and comes to Merrymount when there is an emergency and the day care is unable to watch him. Although Tim’s health is still up in the air, his family is stable. “Wilhelm is a happy, outgoing two year old, and I am not sure he would be like that if we had not come to Merrymount” says Stacy. Tim & Stacy are looking toward the future, hoping to find answers for Tim’s health mystery, and move forward as a family.

There’s No Place like Home, but when Children can’t be at home, There’s no place like Merrymount.