Sudbury’s Lori Fiorino spent her May 20 birthday moving.
Fiorino walked the Delki Dozzi Track on her birthday for “as long as her body will let her”, raising money to purchase a MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) machine. It’s part of a fundraiser she created with the support of the HSN Foundation’s Do-It-Yourself Fundraising, raising funds for a second MRI machine at Health Sciences North.
To date, she has tripled her original fundraising goal, so far raising almost $8,000.
Fiorino said a second MRI machine is not only necessary, and wait-time saving, but also potentially life-saving.
It was an MRI machine that was used in January of 2013 when Fiorino arrived at the emergency room with the entire right side of her body paralysed, something that occurred completely out of the blue. It was believed that she was suffering a stroke, but the MRI machine was able to offer her neurologist a different, yet equally life-changing diagnosis: multiple sclerosis (MS).
“My life changed completely, completely,” Fiorino told Sudbury.com at the event. “I spent three and a half months pretty much immobile. And when you have an exacerbation, or they'll call it an attack like that an ‘MS attack’, there are no guarantees that you'll recover.”
Since the diagnosis, Fiorino said she has learned things from the healing journey — mostly patience — but has also learned a new way to look at the world.
“When I regained full use of my body I was able to go back to work,” said Fiorino. “Ever since then, I live this grateful life. I see blessings absolutely everywhere. I wake up every morning grateful to be alive, grateful to be moving. And I haven't stopped.”
That’s why Fiorino, as an advocate for people with MS, wanted to spend her birthday moving for an MRI. To raise money, but also to give hope to those who are further along their journey with MS, or even, further away from Sudbury.
She said though she has easy access to the machine as a Sudbury resident, she talks to others in the waiting room who are suffering both from the disease, and the travel.
“The sole MRI runs 24/7,” said Fiorino. “My next MRI is scheduled for a Saturday at 3:30 in the morning. And I'm mobile, I don't live that far. But when you're in the waiting room, you meet all kinds of people and they're definitely in pain. They're tired, they've traveled to get to HSN. And, you know, a second one will mean make a world of difference and quicker diagnosis. The wait time now is nowhere near the provincial average.”
Fiorino said a second MRI would also ensure that others are getting as quick and effective diagnosis as possible, even if the news is not positive.
“We have a lot of medical advancements, a lot of great research happening. But honestly, without the MRI, I would have never had a diagnosis, I never would have received the treatment I needed. And it's like that for so many others and not just people with MS,” said Fiorino.
Debra Dawe, manager of Community Engagement for the HSN Foundation, agreed the wait times are a problem.
“Right now, our MRI runs 24 hours a day, seven days a week,” said Dawe. “People have to wait over 80 days now, there's such a wait list. So for us to have a second MRI would just mean better patient care.”
Dawe is not only immensely proud of what Fiorino has accomplished, but what it means for the foundation and the intention behind the DIY fundraising from the foundation. “This will encourage others to help us raise money,” said Dawe. “Because right now, as you know, we can't have any events. It's so hard for us to try and raise money, so this has been just fantastic. And people just love Lori.
If you would like to help Lori and ‘Lori Moves for MRI’, you can wish her a happy birthday and find out more on the HSN Foundation website.
