Ignored in Canada, Regina father seeks U.S. aid to treat rare spinal condition

REGINA — Regina resident Mackenzie Wagman has felt ignored and dismissed by doctors, politicians, and more from Canada as he turns to the U.S., hoping his rare spinal condition can be fixed.

Wagman suffers from  Bertolotti syndrome, which is caused by the transverse process of the fifth lumbar vertebra that articulates with the sacrum, resulting in abnormal spinal mobility.

From the condition, Wagman has experienced high levels of back pain for five years, forcing him to lie in bed all day on the worst days.

“[One doctor] said , 'I don't want to call you crazy, but there's no pain coming from the areas that you suspect there is.“

Canadian doctors have tried various methods to treat Wagman’s pain, including a diagnostic injection into his L4-L5 disc. Despite medical efforts, Wagman said his pain remains.

Wagman has also tried setting up meetings with Premier Scott Moe and the Ministry of Health for years.

“I've requested a meeting at least a handful of times between the Minister of Health and Scott Moe [and] I've been ignored basically every time.“

With nowhere else to turn, Wagman is heading to the U.S. in late June to get surgery from a doctor who has treated 150 people with the condition.

“It gives me the utmost confidence knowing that somebody has treated this condition 150 times and that many people are doing much better after the procedure.”

While Wagman has a potential solution, his roughly U.S. $100,000 in travel and medical expenses won’t be covered by the Ministry of Health.

“I need a surgeon willing to write a letter for the funding, and it will not be reimbursed if I decide to go down to the States," he said.

From talking with federal Interim Opposition House Leader Andrew Scheer, Wagman has the option to bring his case up with the Saskatchewan ombudsman.

The ombudsman takes complaints from people believing they’ve been treated unfairly by a provincial or municipal service.

Scheer said the ombudsman could overturn the decision by the Ministry of Health to provide him compensation for his U.S. trip.

“[However], that does cost additional funds that you need [potentially] get that process started, and there's still a chance that you will not get the reimbursement,“ said Wagman.

Hoping to raise money to cover some costs for his medical trip, Wagman has started a GoFundMe.

The GoFundMe currently stands at over $3,500 to raise roughly $16,000.

Wagman also said his medical costs could increase depending on the success of the surgery.

If everything for the surgery goes well, Wagman should start to see drastic mobility improvements in six to nine months.

As a father of two children, Wagman said it would mean everything to play with his kids again.

Wagman also hopes his story will shed light on Bertolotti syndrome.

“I'm hoping that by stepping up, finding the funds, [and] going to get this [surgery] will open the eyes of the health system here, and we can get somebody to learn about the condition to be able to treat people here.“