"Let your dreams change reality, but don't let reality change your dreams" -Nelson Mandela

Here's the short version of my motivations for launching this donation drive (see below for the long version):

To mark the 20th anniversary of my surgery, I've decided to make two dreams come true simultaneously: that of running from Qc to Mtl with my dedicated team, my army AND that of collecting as many donations as possible that will go directly to the pain management unit, in order to help as many people as possible. Don't forget that one in five people, i.e. 20% of the population, suffers from chronic pain.

For those who want to read more:

In all transparency, I'm completely frozen in front of my screen. Yet I've told my story many times. What paralyzes me, I think, is that this time, the goal is precise: to get your support. It's so important to me that I'm overcome with fear: what if I don't choose the right words? What if my text isn't concise enough or, on the contrary, lacks context? In fact, this is the first time since I've been off work (2018) that I've set myself a bold challenge, a dream, for which I'm responsible. It makes me dizzy to set my donation goal at $20,000 in less than a month. The reality is that I want to succeed for the pain clinic, for my dedicated doctors, for the patients, for the suffering people waiting for a place, for my loved ones, for me. I want to show that it's possible to aim high, even if the pain is unpredictable. 

My name is Audrey (I could have started with that!). In 2004, on May 31 to be precise, I underwent major lumbar surgery. The use of my legs was at stake. My journey was not the one you dream of for your child. In 2020, having suffered from chronic pain for far too long, I was able to join the Pain Management Unit at the Montreal General Hospital. This clinic, which is the last safety net for people in pain, literally changed my life and that of my family. The multidisciplinary treatment team, particularly Dr. Perez and Dr. Gentile, to name but a few, has been a real help to me.

Through my concrete actions, I hope to instill hope in people who are suffering, as well as their loved ones. Hope that life can still be sweet and meaningful, that surpassing oneself is possible, that with the right tools and the right people it's possible to live intense moments filled with positivity and, above all, that our impossible can be POSSIBLE. And the most important thing of all is that I want to remember this achievement when the going gets tough, and draw hope and strength from it. MY hope and strength.

Thank you so much for your support. It means so much to me.