Regina mother hopes to get daughter to Sick Kids in Toronto

She never expected to become a medical mother, but for the past year and a half it has been her reality.

“I’m talking about days where I stay up and watch my girl to make sure she gets through the night,” said Jas Hicks.

When her daughter Scarlett was just 14 months old, she suffered her first seizure and stroke. Now, at two and a half, she is dealing with a list of medical conditions.

“She has generalized epilepsy and she was recently diagnosed with autism. She also has global developmental delay,” she said.

Hicks recalled one of the toughest days yet for her as a medical mother: watching Scarlett endure 90 seizures in one day at the Ronald McDonald House in Saskatoon.

“When you see your child in pain in a way that you can’t kiss them, you can’t hold them. All you can do is say it’s going to be okay, when you really have no idea if it’s going to be okay,” she explained.

The family has been unable to find answers to Scarlett’s condition close to home. Medical professionals in Saskatchewan are unable to help the family any further. They are now expanding their efforts to Sick Kids Hospital in Toronto.

The only problem they are facing now is travel and accommodation costs.

• Download the CTV News app for Saskatchewan news alerts and top stories

“It costs a couple thousand dollars just for the flights to get there. We wouldn’t know when to come back because we wouldn’t know when we were coming back.”

They even had a garage sale on Saturday to raise some money.

Jas Hicks held a fundraiser Saturday to help her daughter go to Toronto. (Angela Stewart/CTV News) “I’m stuck. I hope the community can help me because I have no other options. There is no other way,” she said.

Hicks says Scarlett’s condition prevents her from enjoying the simple things in life, like going to the park.

“She’s never been in a splash pad. She’s never been in an outdoor pool because it’s too much for her.”

She said she is getting through this difficult time by relying on hope and prayer.

“All we know is we’re trying to save her life because this is unfair. This is no life for a child.”

Hicks set up a GoFundMe page to cover some of the travel expenses.