(
EMAILWIRE.COM, April 14, 2012 ) Toronto - An Ontario woman who survived her own death sentence a year ago will participate in
Whatever-A-Thon 2012, scheduled for May 6, 2012 at Fairy Lake Park near Newmarket, Ontario.
Friends and supporters of Cyndi Desjardins, who survived an abrupt attack of Necrotizing Fasciitis ("flesh-eating disease") during an emergency hospital visit in February 2011, are organizing the fundraiser to support the tenacious spirit and real-world physical needs of the courageous mother of two.
Since awakening from a 4-week coma and adjusting to the loss of both of her lower legs and forearms to prevent the nearly-fatal disease from spreading, Desjardins has struggled to recapture her life by re-learning virtually every activity from washing her face to walking with prosthetic limbs. The fundraiser's website at
http://www.whatever-a-thon.com tells of Desjardins rediscovering the joys of driving and holding her infant son Liam again, even preparing dinner for her husband Marc and 7-year-old daughter Cienna.
"Watching Cyndi take a devastating disease and turn it around with such positivity and strength has been an incredible inspiration to everyone who knows her," says Maureen Fautley, the event's organizer and a close friend of Desjardins. "The challenges Cyndi faces on a daily basis are met with a strength and even humour... and her inspiration is her family, her children. We want to help Cyndi realize her wish to have myoelectric arms, making it easier for her to succeed at some of the regular things we all take for granted ."
During the past year, Cyndi has also learned to use basic prosthetic hands, but finds the hook-like fingers tiring and difficult to use for delicate tasks like typing, answering the phone or simply playing with her 1-year-old infant. While she's accepted the stares from other people as part of her recovery, she hopes to purchase functional and natural-looking myoelectric prosthetic arms with the proceeds of this fundraiser, since the $100,000 devices are not covered under OHIP, the province's medical insurance plan.
About Whatever-a-thon:
Whatever-a-thon 2012's theme is "Whatever you can do... is worth it!", and friends and supporters are invited to send in "participation pledges" for the event instead of typical per-km commitments. The half-day event takes place on Sunday, May 6th from 9am to 1pm, and includes an awards ceremony, raffle prize drawings and entertainment following the walk. Donations can be sent online, and registration and pledge forms can be downloaded at:
http://www.whatever-a-thon.com
Whatever-a-thon
Maureen Fautley
(905) 497-8645
mfautley@rogers.com 
