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Q&A: Physical Cost of Traveling to Testify

Day 2 · 0:45:04 · Dean Allison · Vienna Demeduk · Shawn Buckley · Dr. Michelle Worton

  • 🔥 Without care she experiences constant burning, electric shocks, and brain inflammation even while seated.
  • 🛏️ She spends about 90% of time in bed; ligaments cannot keep her upright and exertion requires rescue meds.
  • ✈️ Despite the multi-day recovery cost she insists testifying is essential and she would not stay away.

Allison asks about the toll of appearing in Ottawa.

← Q&A: Remaining Brain Cyst, Stroke, and Cognitive Decline | CANRISE Data: VISP Rejection Rates and Under-Reporting →

Transcript

Dean Allison · 0:45:04

Talk about, you know, the recovery. I mean, you've traveled a great distance to get here. I don't know how many hours it took, but I know our colleague Bob Zimmer, it takes him 5, 6, 8, 10 hours, 12, depending on stuff.

Vienna Demeduk · 0:45:16

Yeah.

Dean Allison · 0:45:17

How long it take you? Like, like this is gonna really kick the crap outta you for the next couple days. You're, you're gonna be the time to recover.

Shawn Buckley · 0:45:26

Yeah.

Dean Allison · 0:45:26

For, for what would be normal for most people, I think you should explain, you know, this, this comes at a cost for you to be here.

Dr. Michelle Worton · 0:45:33

It definitely does. Without care, my conditions are getting progressively worse. And so that includes burning, tingling, electric shocks, jolts everywhere. As I'm sitting here, it's everywhere. My brain, it's on fire. And any kind of level of activity or exertion, even staying upright, this is challenging. I spend 90% of my time in bed. My ligaments can't keep me upright. And even yesterday, um, knowing that, you know, individuals would be testifying, I wanted to be here and I had to leave early. And I spent the rest of the day in bed taking rescue medications for, you know, brain inflammation, pain, nausea. Um, and that's what every day looks like. And so I can't tell you for certain how long it will take to recover, but today will be the same, tomorrow will be the same. And that's just what life looks like now. And we have to do what we have to do.

Dr. Michelle Worton · 0:46:33

This is important. I would not, not be here. So I'll, I'll make do.

Dean Allison · 0:46:39

Yeah. And we appreciate you making the effort, not once but twice.