ANTONIA HAS BEEN DIAGNOSED WITH AN INCURABLE DESEASE IN HER LEFT HAND. THE DESEASE IS REFLEX SYMPATHETIC DYSTROPHY ( R.S.D.). THIS CAN BE RESEARCHED ON GOOGLE.

THE STORY GOES LIKE THIS............................
ABOUT 4 YEARS AGO ANTONIA COMPLAINED OF A PAIN IN HER LEFT HAND. IT LOOKED FINE, NO SWELLING OR REDNESS...NOTHING. ANTONIA SPENT A LOT OF TIME ON THE PHONE CALLING FRIENDS....I THOUGHT PERHAPS THIS WAS CAUSING THE PROBLEM, SO I BOUGHT HER A HEAD SET

BY AND BY THE PAIN WENT AWAY AND WE ALL RETURNED TO OUR LIVES
ABOUT 9 MONTHS LATER THE SAME PAIN RETURNED.... AFTER SOME THOUGHT I WAS SURE, THIS TIME, IT WAS DUE TO HER SPENDING TOO MUCH TIME ON THE COMPUTER....... SO I LIMITED HER TIME TO 30 MINS ON 30 MINS OFF.....
SHE WAS NOT HAPPY, BUT....THE WENT AWAY WITHIN A FEW WEEKS
SHE WAS ALWAYS ON THE PHONE AND THE COMPUTER AT THE SAME
MULTI-TASKING
( SHE WAS ALSO LISTENING TO COUNTRY MUSIC )

WELL, WOULDN'T YA'LL KNOW IT CAME BACK......THIS TIME I TOOK HER TO THE DR.
HE SENT HER FOR AN X-RAY.............IT WAS NEGATIVE, BUT SHE CONTINUED TO BE IN SO MUCH PAIN..I ASKED THE DR. WHAT I SHOULD DO ABOUT HER ALWAYS WANTING TO WEAR A BRACE...EVEN TO BED. HE SAID TO LET HER WEAR IT, SO SHE DID.
WELL THAT WAS ABOUT NOVEMBER 2005.....
CHRISTMAS CAME AND WENT. THE SAME WITH NEW YEARS.. EASTER... AND ONE DAY, RIGHT OUT OF THIN AIR, SHE SAID I THINK I'LL TAKE OFF MY BRACE..WOW!
I WAS HAPPY LIFE WENT ON....

HOWEVER, IN AUGUST OF 2007 IT CAME BACK...I TOOK HER TO THE DR., HE DIDN'T KNOW WHAT TO DO..

------- I TOOK HER TO HER CANADIAN DOCTORS ------
NOW I DID THIS MOSTLY BECAUSE THEY HAVE KNOWN HER SINCE SHE WAS BORN, ALMOST, SHE WAS BORN IN ENGLAND, AND HER HEALTH INSURANCE IS COVERED.

PLEASE BEAR IN MIND THIS TIME AROUND SHE WAS IN AGONY!
WE HAVE A HOUSE IN UP-STATE NEW YORK AND WE ALL HEADED FOR THERE.
WE GOT AN APPOINTMENT. WITH HER BONE DR. AND IT WAS THEN HE SAID SHE HAD R.S.D.
HOWEVER, THAT WOULD HAVE TO BE CONFIRMED BY A NEUROLOGIST FOR HER TO RECEIVE MEDICAL TREATMENT FROM THE PAIN DR.......
.....TURNS OUT WE WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO SEE THE PAIN DR. FOR 6 MONTHS..
I CALLED DOWN TO MIAMI AND MY DR. SAID HE WILL GET HER IN TO A PAIN DR. DOWN HERE WITHION A MONTH.....SO WE PACKED EVERYTHING UP AND HEADED BACK TO MIAMI.

SURE ENOUGH WITHIN A MONTH WE WERE IN TO SEE THE PAIN DR.
IT WAS THEN WE STARTED AN 8 WEEK PROGRAM OF A NEEDLE IN HER NECK TWICE A WEEK, THE NEEDLE WAS TO, HOPEFULLY, START UP THE NERVES IN HER HAND..

ANTONIA WAS PUT OUT FOR THIS PROCEDUER SO SHE COULDN'T EAT THE NIGHT BEFORE AFTER 9 AND NOTHING BY MOUTH THE DAY OF THE SURGERY..THE DAY AFTER THE SURGERY SHE FELT QUITE ILL AND THE NEXT DAY WE WOULD START ALL OVER AGAIN PREPARING FOR THE NEXT DAYS SURGERY.............

AFTER 8 WEEKS OF THIS SHE WAS NO BETTER AND WAS VERY DISAPPOINTED
ACTUALLY THE PAIN DR. SAID AT THIS POINT HE WASN'T EVEN SURE IT WAS R.S.D.

HE REFERED US TO THE SYLVESTER CANCER CLINIC OF MIAMI ( JMH)
THOSE DR'S SAID IT IS R.S.D. AND THEY WOULD LIKE TO PLACE A CATHETER IN HER SPINE
SO ANTONIA COULD SELF ADMINISTER ELECTOMAGNETIC WAVES FROM THROUGH HER SPINE TO HER HAND .....WELL.... BY THIS TIME 6 MONTHS WAS ALMOST UP AND I TOOK ANTONIA BACK TO CANADA........ JUNE 4th 2007
___________________SHE IS STILL THERE TODAY

SHE IS UNDERGOING INTENSE PHYSIOTHERAPY
A NURSE COMES EVERYDAY, FOR 2 HOURS, TO BATHE HER
SHE ALSO HAS A COMPANION TO TAKE HER SHOPPING OR TO THE MOVIES ETC,.
(4 HOURS A WEEK)
SHE DOES NOT SLEEP WELL AND OFTEN LEAVES THE ROOM TO CRY
________ I MISS HER SO MUCH _________

THE R.S.D. NET WORK DESCRIBES THE PAIN LEVEL OF THE ILLNESS AS FOLLOWS

LEVEL 3 IS BACK PAIN
LEVEL 2 IS CHILD BIRTH
LEVEL 1 IS REFLEX SYMPATHETIC DYSTROPHY.
ANTONIA IS STAYING WITH HER DAD IN CANADA.
HE WORKS AND SHE IS VERY MUCH ALONE DURING THE DAY.

SHE WRITES TO PEOPLE SHE KNOWS, BUT THEY DON'T WRITE HER BACK
IF ANY ONE WOULD LIKE TO WRITE HERE IS THE ADDRESS

ANTONIA PATRICK HER TELEPHONE NUMBER
13 JAMES STREET 1(613) 342 1518
P.O. BOX 116
LYN, ONTARIO
CANADA HER E-MAIL
K6V 1MO ANTONIAPATRICK@HOTMAIL.COM

I ALSO WOULD ASK FOR YOU TO PRAY FOR ANTONIA
SHE IS IN A GREAT DEAL OF PAIN AND TRIES TO HIDE IT FROM US ALL
EVERY HOUR OF EVERY DAY .
AND WHILE SHE IS NO SAINT SHE SURE IS ....... A STAR .........

I WOULD LIKE TO THANK YOU STELLA FOR YOUR CONCERN AND EFFECTION FOR ANTONIA I KNOW YOU TWO ARE GREAT PALS.

Your truly, Susan,
ANTONIA'S MOMMY

ANTONIA’S STORY AS TOLD BY STELLA CABECA:

Antonia spent most of her childhood in a wheelchair with physical disabilities and was also legally blind. However, due to multiple surgeries and her love of country music and her determination, Antonia was able to start to walk, and shortly after that she took her first dance steps on my dance floor in North Miami Beach. It took me awhile to realize that she could barely see. I watched in awe as she would sometimes wheel in her chair to the classes and then come to life on the dance floor. She line danced with me for a few years; most weeks I would pick her up at home on Thursdays and we would go together and dance all day 10 to 12 hours a day .We would sing at the top of our voices to our favorite songs; she would sing every country song and knew all the words and sang from her heart. Her little body was exhausted at the end of the day and I could see the pain in her face as she walked to her door.
Antonia touched my heart and made my life makes sense and all my struggles worth while. Watching her push her body beyond its limits, her smile, her laughter, her love of music and dance, of life itself, was the joy of my life. SHE WAS AND IS MY BRIGHTEST SHINNIG STAR DANCER.

Antonia had a nasty fall December 29, 2006 and has been in a wheel chair ever since. This has nothing to do with her left hand other than perhaps if her hand was not in a brace maybe she would never have fallen.
Now back in her wheelchair at 22 her days are spent in constant pain and depression, please give her a call or drop a card in the mail to her. Send a letter or e-mail and let her know you care and give her your support and help to shine a light back in her heart and give her hope, to some day join us again on the dance floor.
My journey through life from where I came from, to where I am today has been a long and difficult journey. I always knew whatever I did with my life I wanted to help others, to make them happy to see them smile, to raise their spirit and souls if only for a fleeting moment. I lived and survived for that very purpose and people like Antonia make my life mean so much more than I ever thought it would. We love you Antonia your dance teacher and friend always Stella Cabeca