By early December of last year, Susie Silvestri was no longer able to walk or speak.

She hadn’t eaten for days.

The 70-year-old American found he rself in the vice-grip of her rapidly progressing ALS — a disease that causes gradual loss of muscle control.

She was begging doctors at the Moose Jaw, Sas k., hospital for a feeding tube, but they said no because her U.S.-based insurance company wouldn’t pay the bill.

“Nervous and scared,” she texted her brother Charles Silvestri with her one good hand. “This is not what I ever thought my life would look like at this point.”

In December, Susie Silvestri was no longer able to eat and was begging for a feeding tube. (Former Goodenowe worker)

Susie had come to Saskatchewan from North Carolina three months earlier, chasing the promise of h

See Full Page