Gabby Gingras, 14, is a typical teenager in so many ways.
She loves animals, expecially her cat, Muffin. She likes to read and enjoys the works of John Green. The most recent book she read was The Kite Runner. She enjoys music. In English, she is studying Romeo and Juliette.
Gabby likes to write her own stories and she hopes to join the Big Lake High School swimming team when she goes back as a sophomore this fall. She enjoys music and playing her saxophone.
It will take that long for Gabby to recuperate from her second spinal fusion operation.
Gabby was born without the ability to feel pain. Ordinary touch, a hug, she can feel, but pain does not register in her brain.
It took a while before her parents, Trish and Steve, figured out what was wrong with their daughter. Gabby was their second child. Big sister Katie had no such health problems.
By the time doctors determined what was wrong with Gabby, her infant fingernails had already damaged her eyes. She is legally blind because of it. As a baby, she had to wear swim goggles all the time so she would not hurt herself. Her left eye is a prosthetic and her right eye has a cataract, but she can still read large print.
It was hard at first. The Gingras family didn’t know any other families facing the same problem. But Gabby’s rare condition made national headlines. It wasn’t too long before they were approached by another family facing the same ordeal.
“Through it all the Big Lake community and our church family has been there for us,” said Trish. “We moved here from Michigan and we didn’t know anybody.”
The Gingras family attends Mary of the Visitation Catholic Church. When she was younger, Gabby had a hard time staying healthy because her immune system was weak.
As she grew, she became healthier and stronger. Then in 2013 she began to have issues with her back.
“It felt different,” Gabby said. “And I was walking differently too.”
An X-ray revealed the problem and on Good Friday that year Gabby underwent her first spinal fusion operation.
In March of 2014, she had loosened the hardware around the spinal fusion to the point that surgeons had to operate to remove it.
“She was so active,” said Trish. “She put too much pressure on it.”
“I thought I had injured my hip,” Gabby said. “There was no improvement.”
Another x-ray earlier this year showed the problem was far worse. What followed was a 12- hour spinal fusion surgery followed by three hard months of bed rest.
The first thing she did when she was allowed to move?
“Take a shower and wash my hair,” said Gabby. “I feel more stable now.”
Because of her health issues, Steve and Trish have spent most years since Gabby was born paying out 10% or more of their income each year on medical bills. Steve has picked up an extra job, managing some property in Princeton to help make ends meet.
But the parishioners of the Becker and Big Lake campus of Mary of the Visitation have plans to help with the financial issues from the recent surgery.
Youth leader Doug Watercott and the churches’ youth groups are planning a Walk-A-Thon in Gabby’s honor.
It will be held Sunday, April 19 at Big Lake Middle School from 6 to 8 p.m. Walkers will ask for pledges and any money raised will be applied to the $250,000 surgery bill the Gingras family received.
Anyone interested in walking for Gabby or willing to sponsor a walker is encouraged to call Watercott at 1-(320) 241-3887 or either of the church offices in Becker or Big Lake and sign up.
For now her life is a long round of doctors appointments; the dentist, the eye doctor, orthopedist, neurologist, endocrinologist and gastrointestinal doctor. She also has some mild allergies.
Every three to four months she goes to the Mayo Clinic for treatment and sometimes travels as far as Chicago or Michigan for therapy.
For her part, Gabby is looking forward to getting back to school and generally gets good grades.
“I enjoy learning. It’s nice to know people really care about you and want to do something to help.” Gabby said.
