Goal:
CAD $130,000
Raised:
CAD $126,237
Campaign funds will be received by Operation Kayla
In early February, just after her third COVID-19 booster shot, 36-year-old Mount Albert resident Kayla Pollock ‘lost her legs’ and fell to the ground.
Kayla could not feel her legs or lower body and wondered what the heck was going on. Within half an hour all was normal, but she thought she should see someone. Appointments are hard to come by though and the next ‘spell’ lasted 45 minutes. She decided she needed to see a neurologist and made an appointment with her doctor to get a referral. She never got to see either because on February 22 she woke up paralyzed from the neck down and had difficulty breathing.
After a long week in Emerg and an MRI, Kayla was diagnosed with Transverse Myelitis caused by lesions on her spine. The doctors told her the illness was a rare and life-altering side effect of the COVID-19 vaccination.
Before February 22, Kayla worked part time at Robert Munch Public School in Mount Albert as a teaching assistant. A single mom to seven year old Mason, she also worked with exotic animals and trained dogs. Her passion was training service dogs and educating people about them through public speaking to groups and on TV and radio. She loved gardening and has an extensive exotic plant collection. She had a busy and active life.
The service dog will be provided by Julie Speyer from Canine Foundations . Julie has over 20 years of Canine Rehabilitation experience, specializing in treating extreme Fear, Aggression and Phobia related behaviour issues. Among her many accomplishments, Julie is also a Court Recognized Expert Witness in the area of Dog Bite and Canine Behaviour Assessments. With a background as a Veterinarian Assistant, former Animal Cruelty Investigator and Animal Control Officer, Julie works closely with many Municipal Animal Shelters and organizations, such as the Municipal Law Enforcement Officers’ Association, in developing Officer Safety Training and Animal Handling programs.
God Bless you and your new dog.
Praying for you
Keep strong! All the love and prayer for you and your handsome boy!
You're a warrior leading the way for the rest of us. Thank you 💓
Best wishes.
The Lord bless you Kayla. Jesus is your Healer.
Use this toward any of your needs.
Praying for you and your son! He looks like an angel. God bless you both!
Praying for you and your son. May God bring healing to your body.
You are such an inspiration to humanity! Your son has the best Mama. I am a RN in suburb of Atlanta, Ga. I personally witnessed my friend/coworker collapse and die at our nursing station April 3, 2022. She had a stroke same day as “vaccine”. Slowly recovered and got the mandated yearly flu shot. Had a TIA same day. Slowly recovered and had a massive heart attack that night.
Thank you for the Inspiration, the Strength and Courage that you have and give others. May those responsible for this face justice. God bless you
God Bless You and Your Family Kayla! Keep Up The Adventure!
Kiakaha amazing Woman. We will fight this global atrocity until they get consequences they deserve.
You are an amazing and strong woman and mother. My heart goes out to you.
God help us all.
Your son is an angel sent from heaven. Praying for you.
Praying for you!
May 17th, 2024
Good afternoon,
Just giving a quick update to the fundraising campaign! Please check out Kayla's new website at www.opkayla.com and you can email her directly at info@opkayla.com
We have made the decision to shut down this give send go on the 31st of May 2024 and encourage people to donate to Kayla at https://donorbox.org/operation-kayla (it has lower fees) or etransfer directly to info@opkayla.com to help with the purchase of her wheelchair van.
Storm has been purchased and is currently being trained by Julie and the team at Canine Foundations with her training estimated to be completed by September of 2024 at which time she will move in with Kayla.
We have paid the following bills so far
We have had trouble finding a used vehicle that is suitable for Kayla's model of wheelchair and the lowest quote was $110,000 so the total cost for the service dog and the vehicle would be $175,000 which is achievable however it will take a lot longer to get there.
I'd like to personally thank you again for all your support and encourage you to reach out to Kayla directly and follow her story on her twitter account (link on her webpage)
Drew, www.V4F.ca
March 19th, 2024
Good afternoon everyone.
I'm happy to announce that the dog has been purchased for $5650 dollars plus a $900 spay that will be taking place in April! I can confirm that the dog is now in the hands of the trainers at Canine Foundations and has begun her training.
We had originally budgeted $20,000 for the dog but the type of dog that Kayla needs is not your standard PTSD service dog, it is a more advanced service dog than originally thought that has to be able to perform more advanced functions. The estimated cost to have the dog fully trained is between $40,000 on the low end and $65,000 on the high end.
Due to the amount of money raised, we are unable to put that money into the V4F bank accounts, therefore we are setting up a Ontario based corporation named "Operation Kayla" with a director and Kayla as the sole member.
The primary goal of this fundraiser has been the dog and the vehicle. Kayla requires a vehicle that is very specific to her type of wheel chair and the lowest quote we have gotten so far is roughly $110,000. We will continue to investigate the purchase of a used model but it has been slim pickings so far.
Based on the increased cost of the dog and the price of the vehicle, we are going to bump up the amount of the fundraiser slightly in hopes of finding a used wheelchair vehicle in the near future.
Friends of the organization have stepped up and loaned the money to purchase the dog and most likely the spay cost of $900 until the corporation is setup with a bank account and the give send go can transfer the funds into said bank account.
Kayla would like to THANK YOU for all the help and support and if you would like to see the updates to Kayla's battle or email her directly, you can check out Operation Kayla at www.opkayla.com
Thank you all again,
Drew, National President of www.V4F.ca
February 19th, 2024
Thank you all for supporting #OPKayla to get her the help she needs to deal with her catastrophic injuries. Due to her story spreading around the globe, we believe we can fundraise enough to purchase a wheelchair van to improve her quality of life.
Kayla requires a wheelchair-capable van that is specific to the size and weight of her electric wheelchair. There are several companies in Canada that are able to provide Kayla with the vehicle she needs. We will be talking to several different dealerships over the next few weeks to discuss options. As soon as quotes are available, we will post the details and update the goals.
"I prayed a few weeks ago that God would send me someone and he literally sent me an army."
Kayla Pollock
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