The pain quite literally never stops for Newmarket resident Jeannie Evans.
The 44-year-old has been battling vasculitis, an auto-immune disease, and pyoderma gangrenosum, which is a rare condition, for about three years, according to her sister, Lenore Brady.
The conditions leave her with large sores on her body, especially on her legs, and "24-7 pain."
“She started getting these big sores on her legs and even on her breasts ... and they turn into holes and they go black,” Brady said.
After a year-and-a-half of dealing with the flesh-eating holes, Brady said her sister was put on Remicade, a medication that almost sent her into remission.
However, when COVID-19 hit, Evans was taken off the medication because, along with her auto-immune disease, it left her with virtually no immune system.
“If she got COVID (while on the medication), she would have probably died,” Brady said.
Not only have the sores returned but Evans has also been dealing with swelling and put on water weight as a result of her conditions.
“I can’t imagine the pain, she’s in pain 24-7,” her sister said. “She just cries everyday, it hurts so much.”
Brady said her sister sleeps sitting up because she is unable to lie down, uses a walker to walk, and needs help completing basic tasks like going to the bathroom.
“I’m very scared for her. I just don’t know what to do anymore. I wish I could take her pain from her for a while, even for a few days to give her a break because she just doesn’t get a break from it. It’s horrible,” she said.
Evans’ condition has also left her unable to work.
“She did drag herself to work as long as she possibly could and it was horrible for her. But she can’t work at all now, there’s no way she could,” Brady said.
Evans has three kids at home and her partner, who needs to have back surgery and is also unable to work and is collecting disability.
Brady was telling someone how she wished she could start a fundraiser for her sister’s family and they suggested GoFundMe.
She launched the campaign page, which has a goal of $6,000, in August and has raised more than $4,800 since then.
Most of the donors have been people they know, but there have been some strangers showing their support, too.
“It was really nice to see that total strangers were donating,” Brady said. “It was nice to see and we’re very grateful for that, like people give you hope when they come out of nowhere and do that, it’s just very nice.”
Originally, depending how much they were able to raise, they were hoping to use some funds to pay for more expensive treatments that aren’t covered by OHIP but Brady said, “It’s a dream because it’s kind of out of reach.”
They have had to use a lot of the money to help Evans and her family survive day to day and while Brady said she hopes to keep the fundraising campaign going for as long as possible, it is a struggle.
“It’s hard to keep it going,” she said, adding that she would love more ideas of how to raise money.
At the end of the day, Brady said her goal is to get the word out there and help her sister.
“Every little bit helps,” she said.
