(Catherine Du Puy of Stittsville is a long-time Paramedic who has began a GoFundMe appeal to assist for urgent medical care outside of Canada due to wait times. Photos: GoFundMe)
Catherine Du Puy, a long-time paramedic from Stittsville, is now turning to crowdfunding to cover urgent tumor treatment in the U.S. As her conditions worsens, Catherine says she sadly cannot afford to wait for care in Canada due to the wait times. “For years, I have dedicated my life to serving my community as a paramedic, responding to emergencies and helping those in need. But now, I find myself in a position where I need help,” shared Catherine.
Catherine has been diagnosed with a 2cm (+) adrenal tumour, and her doctors have confirmed that surgery is necessary to prevent worsening health complications. This is known as cyclical Cushing’s Syndrome. Recent tests have also revealed dangerously high renin levels (439), which could be causing severe hypertension, kidney pain, and other serious symptoms.
Moving here in 2005 with her husband, who is with the RCMP, Catherine said it was “to give their four children another perspective on Canada and to become bilingual”. Prior to moving, the family lived in British Columbia where Catherine had worked as both a paramedic and an emergency medical dispatcher in Vancouver.
Since moving here, “I have worked with Ottawa Paramedic Service since June 2006. And I also got hired as a casual with Renfrew Paramedic Service just prior to getting hired full time with Ottawa,” said Catherine.
Catherine is also pleased to share that she is on the Board of Directors for the Canadian Paramedic Memorial Foundation. The NCC recently approved the location for the Canadian Paramedic Monument. It will be located in Commissioners Park at Dow’s Lake. Paramedics were the only group of first-responders without a monument in the Nation’s capital. The Paramedic Memorial Monument is for Line of Duty Deaths. There are certain criteria that must be met to be recognized as such. Catherine shares sadly, “I’d like to add that we have just recently lost a BC Medic to a possible suicide two days ago.”
Complex post-traumatic stress disorder (C-PTSD) is rampant across Canada for not only Paramedics, but all first responders – armed forces, police force members and others – who put their lives on the line every day. Catherine has been off of work with C-PTSD, but it was a long battle and with assistance of her union legal team, before she was finally awarded a ‘permanent disability’. “This is why some of the financial assistance from the GoFundMe was, I felt, a huge ask,” she said.
Catherine ended, “Paramedics, as you probably know, have a lot of autonomous thinking and leadership qualities. Independent – problem solvers. It took a lot for me to come forward. To receive the surgery as soon as possible, I must travel to the U.S. – Tampa, Florida – for treatment.”
If you can help Catherine as she has helped many during her career as a Paramedic, it would be gratefully appreciated. Visit the GoFundMe fundraising appeal for more information and updates. If there is an excess amount donated, for whatever reason, Catherine will forward the amount to support the Canadian Paramedic Memorial Foundation to benefit all Canadian paramedics.
Sorry to hear of your medical problems Catherine.
What is the cost of your operation in Tampa Florida.
Also what is the wait time in Canada, is it a long wait due to the type of operation required.
I have been operated on for colon, lung , and breast cancer, and there was not a long wait time for any of the operations. Regards Patricia
Hi Patricia.
Cyclical Cushing’s Syndrome – is a “newer” disease to many Canadian doctors.
There are only a select few endocrine surgeons who perform this surgery and one has to be very sick in order to “qualify”. In Canada the top surgeons (I’m being followed by Dr Pasternak in Toronto) will most likely remove all the adrenal gland because of skill and equipment required. Dr Carling at the Carling Adrenal Center is world renowned. He has the equipment and skill to do a partial adrenelectomy. Leaving healthy tissue if he can. The tumor is creating side effects such as hard to manage hypertension, high cholesterol, uncontrolled weight gain despite exercise and diet, insulin resistance, high renin/aldosterone, high cortisol etc. in Canada I’m not “sick enough yet”. These tumors tend to become cancerous when they get to 4 cm + so those patients take precedent over smaller tumours. So I wait. More blood work. More scans. Wait until it grows and in the meanwhile I increase the dosage of the 3 blood pressure meds I’m on and other medications. The side effects are getting worse every day.
Thank you for asking. Yesterday April 8th was Cushing’s awareness day. Anyone interested can reference http://www.adrenal.com – Dr Carling will be doing my surgery hopefully the end of May/beginning of June. Thank you to all who have supported me in this journey.