My name is Deanna. I am a mother of 2 beautiful young women in their 20s.

My husband Shawn suffered a massive spinal cord injury in March of 2021 when he fell from the attic ladder in our garage. He fell over 12 feet onto his pelvis and suffered a compression fracture. He was rushed to the hospital completely paralyzed, and he had emergency decompression surgery. At this time, they had given him a 15% chance of ever walking again. Of course he defied all odds and walked out of the hospital two months later using a walker.

A few months into Shawn’s recovery we started to notice his right foot wasn’t quite right. This progressed into Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS).

This affliction is not very widely recognized or understood, and we were met with so many roadblocks. CRPS is a result of a traumatic injury. There is no rhyme or reason why someone gets it. It just happens. And it’s awful!

Shawn was left with debilitating pain that the medical team just could not manage. He was the worst case of CRPS they had ever dealt with. Throughout his chronic pain journey, he had tried a spinal cord stimulator, sympathetic nerve block, and baclofen pump installed in his abdomen. He had his ankle fused to make his ability to stand more stable, he took pain medications including Hydromorphone, Oxycontin, Gabapentin, Baclofen, and lastly Fentanyl in a pain pump through a pick-line. Unfortunately, nothing helped. The pain continued to intensify and moved to the other leg and into his hips. He suffered from both nerve pain and CRPS pain.

After four years of trying everything to give him some relief, he opted for the MAID program and the 90-day wait began because his affliction was not terminal.

We had the most beautiful weekend leading up to MAID. We had dinner with friends and family so he could say goodbye to everyone he loved. We took turns one on one talking with him, laughing, crying telling such fun stories and remembering all the good times. Shawn never wanted to die; he just didn’t want to live the way he had lived for the previous four years. It wasn’t living. It was merely existing. He was bedridden for the last two years of his life. How is that any way for someone to live?

On August 11, 2025 my amazing husband made the very brave decision to leave us. One by one his mother, brother and my daughters went in to say goodbye. I was in the room with Shawn when he left us and it was beautiful. I am so thankful MAID gave us this peace.