Latest news with #Brenna
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
N.S. family says $85K surgery in U.S. might be daughter's only hope to walk again
Nora Nunn-Murphy doesn't know how her Halifax-area family will come up with nearly $85,000 for a rare hip surgery in the United States, but she knows she has to try. If not, her daughter may have little hope of walking as she gets older. Nunn-Murphy's seven-year-old daughter, Brenna Benoit, has cerebral palsy and a condition called hip dysplasia, which is forcing her hip to fully dislocate from the socket. Brenna used to be able to stand up and walk with the help of braces and a walker, but now gets around in her pink and blue wheelchair. Nunn-Murphy sees Brenna's hip mobility deteriorating and worries if she doesn't get the right treatment soon, her hip will be inoperable. She and her husband, Al Benoit, said they believe they have no option but to forgo the Nova Scotia health-care system and head to a surgeon in New Jersey who performs a hip surgery known as the café door procedure. The surgery releases tight muscles and connective tissue so the hip joint can sit better in the socket and move more freely. Nunn-Murphy said it's less invasive than other hip surgeries and is performed by only a handful of surgeons in the world. "That's a hard pill to swallow when you're living in a province that you feel like nobody can help you," Nunn-Murphy said in an interview at the family's home in Middle Sackville, N.S. "And by the time they do help you, it feels like it's a little bit too late." Brenna loves music, wheelchair basketball and swimming. She has a contagious laugh and a big smile. But she's been dealing with compounding health issues for her whole life, and Nunn-Murphy left work to provide full-time care and advocate for her. In 2022, CBC News covered the family's attempt to get financial support from the province, and their goal of getting Brenna to the U.S. for a different procedure to help her feet and ankles. 'You end up just spiralling' Brenna is a patient at the IWK Health Centre, a children's hospital in Halifax, where she's eligible for a surgery called an osteotomy to treat her hip dysplasia. But Nunn-Murphy said after many conversations with the surgeon who would perform the surgery, she concluded this option isn't right for her daughter. She said the procedure is mainly for chronic pain management, not to increase her hip functionality. And she said no rehabilitation would be available to Brenna afterward, which means Nunn-Murphy and Benoit would be responsible for that at home. "The surgery that's offered here could take away her ability to ever stand and use her walker again, which just means quality of life goes down for Brenna," Nunn-Murphy said. As she looked for other options within the local health-care system, Nunn-Murphy felt she was running out of time. She said in the past, Brenna had waited nine months to get her wheelchair fitted, 11 months to receive the wheelchair, and more than a year to get braces for her feet. "As a parent now for seven and a half years in this system, I know we don't have time to take those steps where things are constantly getting lost, people don't call you back," Nunn-Murphy said. "You basically get a run around, and you end up just spiralling because you don't know what to do next." She decided to reach out to Dr. Roy Nuzzo, the surgeon who performed Brenna's last surgery in the U.S., and he introduced her to the café door procedure. As she researched it, she felt it could be Brenna's best chance. The family booked the surgery for November. Nunn-Murphy said the last time Brenna went to the U.S. for a surgery, she tried to get it covered by Nova Scotia's Medical Services Insurance, but her daughter's doctors wouldn't write letters in support of the procedure. This time, she felt she didn't have time to try. Health minister interview cancelled CBC News scheduled an interview Thursday morning with Nova Scotia Health Minister Michelle Thompson to respond to Nunn-Murphy's concerns about the health-care system, and the fact the family will pay more than $85,000 to receive care in the U.S. When CBC showed up for the interview, a department spokesperson said it was cancelled because department staff wanted to speak with the family first. In an emailed statement, Thompson said she understands this a difficult situation for everyone involved. "I recognize there are situations where procedures and treatments are not available in the province," the statement said. "Even in these situations, we make every effort to support the delivery of care where it is available, if the patient is eligible." Nunn-Murphy said Thursday afternoon, a Health Department employee called her to walk her through the process of asking Brenna's doctor for a referral letter and applying for coverage for the procedure, saying the family is now "front and centre" with the department. IWK says its surgery can increase quality of life for patients In an email, an IWK Health Centre spokesperson said she is unable to comment on Brenna's case due to patient privacy, but responded to general questions about the health care offered at the hospital. Andrea Slaney said the osteotomy procedure available at the IWK "can include pain relief, improved hip function, reduced risk of hip dislocation, improved seating, improved daily personal care, and reduced risk of arthritis in the future, which has a substantial impact on quality of life." Slaney also said IWK rehabilitation services works with the orthopedic care team "to provide the best evidence-based care to patients." She did not respond to questions about whether the IWK is aware of the café door procedure and if it is recommended for patients. Nunn-Murphy said she had given literature on the procedure to Brenna's surgeon in Halifax, who said he would look into it on his own time, which she appreciated. But she didn't hear back from him for around two months, and only after CBC News contacted the hospital. Brenna's family is now focusing on fundraising $100,000 to cover both the surgery and its related costs, including rehabilitation, braces and travel. The payment for the surgery is due on Nov. 1. They've launched an online fundraiser and plan to hold community events like a raffle and a benefit dance. "This has been my career," Nunn-Murphy said. "I want to be her mom, but I also have to be everything else.… There's just so many shortfalls." MORE TOP STORIES
CBC
5 days ago
- Health
- CBC
N.S. family says $85K surgery in U.S. might be daughter's only hope to walk again
Nora Nunn-Murphy doesn't know how her Halifax-area family will come up with nearly $85,000 for a rare hip surgery in the United States, but she knows she has to try. If not, her daughter may have little hope of walking as she gets older. Nunn-Murphy's seven-year-old daughter, Brenna Benoit, has cerebral palsy and a condition called hip dysplasia, which is forcing her hip to fully dislocate from the socket. Brenna used to be able to stand up and walk with the help of braces and a walker, but now gets around in her pink and blue wheelchair. Nunn-Murphy sees Brenna's hip mobility deteriorating and worries if she doesn't get the right treatment soon, her hip will be inoperable. She and her husband, Al Benoit, said they believe they have no option but to forgo the Nova Scotia health-care system and head to a surgeon in New Jersey who performs a hip surgery known as the café door procedure. The surgery releases tight muscles and connective tissue so the hip joint can sit better in the socket and move more freely. Nunn-Murphy said it's less invasive than other hip surgeries and is performed by only a handful of surgeons in the world. "That's a hard pill to swallow when you're living in a province that you feel like nobody can help you," Nunn-Murphy said in an interview at the family's home in Middle Sackville, N.S. "And by the time they do help you, it feels like it's a little bit too late." Brenna loves music, wheelchair basketball and swimming. She has a contagious laugh and a big smile. But she's been dealing with compounding health issues for her whole life, and Nunn-Murphy left work to provide full-time care and advocate for her. In 2022, CBC News covered the family's attempt to get financial support from the province, and their goal of getting Brenna to the U.S. for a different procedure to help her feet and ankles. 'You end up just spiralling' Brenna is a patient at the IWK Health Centre, a children's hospital in Halifax, where she's eligible for a surgery called an osteotomy to treat her hip dysplasia. But Nunn-Murphy said after many conversations with the surgeon who would perform the surgery, she concluded this option isn't right for her daughter. She said the procedure is mainly for chronic pain management, not to increase her hip functionality. And she said no rehabilitation would be available to Brenna afterward, which means Nunn-Murphy and Benoit would be responsible for that at home. "The surgery that's offered here could take away her ability to ever stand and use her walker again, which just means quality of life goes down for Brenna," Nunn-Murphy said. After years-long battle, Halifax woman gets out-of-province surgery paid for by N.S. As she looked for other options within the local health-care system, Nunn-Murphy felt she was running out of time. She said in the past, Brenna had waited nine months to get her wheelchair fitted, 11 months to receive the wheelchair, and more than a year to get braces for her feet. "As a parent now for seven and a half years in this system, I know we don't have time to take those steps where things are constantly getting lost, people don't call you back," Nunn-Murphy said. "You basically get a run around, and you end up just spiraling because you don't know what to do next." She decided to reach out to Dr. Roy Nuzzo, the surgeon who performed Brenna's last surgery in the U.S., and he introduced her to the café door procedure. As she researched it, she felt it could be Brenna's best chance. The family booked the surgery for November. Nunn-Murphy said the last time Brenna went to the U.S. for a surgery, she tried to get it covered by Nova Scotia's Medical Services Insurance, but her daughter's doctors wouldn't write letters in support of the procedure. This time, she felt she didn't have time to try. Health minister interview cancelled CBC News scheduled an interview Thursday morning with Nova Scotia Health Minister Michelle Thompson to respond to Nunn-Murphy's concerns about the health-care system, and the fact the family will pay more than $85,000 to receive care in the U.S. When CBC showed up for the interview, a department spokesperson said it was cancelled because department staff wanted to speak with the family first. In an emailed statement, Thompson said she understands this a difficult situation for everyone involved. "I recognize there are situations where procedures and treatments are not available in the province," the statement said. "Even in these situations, we make every effort to support the delivery of care where it is available, if the patient is eligible." Nunn-Murphy said Thursday afternoon, a Health Department employee called her to walk her through the process of asking Brenna's doctor for a referral letter and applying for coverage for the procedure, saying the family is now "front and centre" with the department. IWK says its surgery can increase quality of life for patients In an email, an IWK Health Centre spokesperson said she is unable to comment on Brenna's case due to patient privacy, but responded to general questions about the health care offered at the hospital. Andrea Slaney said the osteotomy procedure available at the IWK "can include pain relief, improved hip function, reduced risk of hip dislocation, improved seating, improved daily personal care, and reduced risk of arthritis in the future, which has a substantial impact on quality of life." Slaney also said IWK rehabilitation services works with the orthopedic care team "to provide the best evidence-based care to patients." She did not respond to questions about whether the IWK is aware of the café door procedure and if it is recommended for patients. Nunn-Murphy said she had given literature on the procedure to Brenna's surgeon in Halifax, who said he would look into it on his own time, which she appreciated. But she didn't hear back from him for around two months, and only after CBC News contacted the hospital. Brenna's family is now focusing on fundraising $100,000 to cover both the surgery and its related costs, including rehabilitation, braces and travel. The payment for the surgery is due on Nov. 1. They've launched an online fundraiser and plan to hold community events like a raffle and a benefit dance. "This has been my career," Nunn-Murphy said. "I want to be her mom, but I also have to be everything else ... There's just so many shortfalls."
The National
13-07-2025
- Sport
- The National
Glasgow City hero Davidson delivering the goods after moving to Norway
A Tesco delivery driver, enduring arduous ten hour shifts, before turning up for training at Glasgow City, the forward took the plunge into full-time football for an initial six-month trial to see if she could make a go of it. She's done more than that. Davidson netted the goal that delivered Glasgow City their last SWPL title in the most dramatic of circumstances at Ibrox. But life has moved since then with Davidson now a year into a two-and-a-half year deal with Brann in Norway. Still only 23, it has enabled her to kick on again. 'I was definitely out of my comfort zone when I first came over but I think that is a good thing,' she said. 'It has definitely made me mature a bit on and off the pitch. 'I will be honest and say I have been lazy with the Norwegian, though! The girls all speak excellent English – probably better than me! – and so it has been good. I do try but I could definitely do more. 'There are moments when they will be chatting in Norwegian and I can't keep up with it but I am fine with it. I live in an apartment underneath a family just across the road from the stadium. 'So for me it has been eat, sleep and play football. That was this was all about. Just totally focussing on football and testing myself to see how far I can go. 'I have made a lot of small improvements to my game. I loved working with Martin [Ho, who has gone to Spurs]. He was the first manager to take Brann into the group stages of the Champions League and he was invaluable for me. 'I do think he really helped me improve my game and made me realise that it didn't always have to be big, massive changes. Just some very small adjustments and pointers really helped me to come on.' Read more: There will be a familiar face to play alongside this term. Brenna Lovera, whom Davidson played with at City, has made the move to Brann. The Norwegian side are keen to make a dent in the Champions League this season – as are City. 'It would be weird if we met one another!' said Davidson. 'I am still in touch with a lot of the girls at City. I spoke to Brenna and I had also spoken to the club here about Brenna. It will be nice to have an old team-mate and friend coming out and I think she will make a phenomenal impression here.' A three week break at home in Bishopbriggs was enjoyed before the demands of the season resume now for Davidson. And while the downtime was necessary, Davidson admitted that she did her best to avoid any coverage of the Euros, so raw are the wounds that still remain from Scotland's failure to make it. 'It is still sore and I have tried to avoid watching it as much as I can,' she said. 'I have a couple of Finnish team-mates who obviously put us out and while I wanted them to go and do well, it was a hard one to take. 'I think, though, that going away and playing at this standard and in a different environment has definitely made me a better player. 'There is a new regime with Scotland now under Melissa [Andreatta]. I thought the first camp felt like a breath of fresh air. It was all very positive and encouraging but the aim now has got to be to go and get ourselves to the World Cup.'
The Herald Scotland
13-07-2025
- Sport
- The Herald Scotland
Glasgow City hero Davidson delivering the goods after moving to Norway
She's done more than that. Davidson netted the goal that delivered Glasgow City their last SWPL title in the most dramatic of circumstances at Ibrox. But life has moved since then with Davidson now a year into a two-and-a-half year deal with Brann in Norway. Still only 23, it has enabled her to kick on again. 'I was definitely out of my comfort zone when I first came over but I think that is a good thing,' she said. 'It has definitely made me mature a bit on and off the pitch. 'I will be honest and say I have been lazy with the Norwegian, though! The girls all speak excellent English – probably better than me! – and so it has been good. I do try but I could definitely do more. 'There are moments when they will be chatting in Norwegian and I can't keep up with it but I am fine with it. I live in an apartment underneath a family just across the road from the stadium. 'So for me it has been eat, sleep and play football. That was this was all about. Just totally focussing on football and testing myself to see how far I can go. 'I have made a lot of small improvements to my game. I loved working with Martin [Ho, who has gone to Spurs]. He was the first manager to take Brann into the group stages of the Champions League and he was invaluable for me. 'I do think he really helped me improve my game and made me realise that it didn't always have to be big, massive changes. Just some very small adjustments and pointers really helped me to come on.' Read more: There will be a familiar face to play alongside this term. Brenna Lovera, whom Davidson played with at City, has made the move to Brann. The Norwegian side are keen to make a dent in the Champions League this season – as are City. 'It would be weird if we met one another!' said Davidson. 'I am still in touch with a lot of the girls at City. I spoke to Brenna and I had also spoken to the club here about Brenna. It will be nice to have an old team-mate and friend coming out and I think she will make a phenomenal impression here.' A three week break at home in Bishopbriggs was enjoyed before the demands of the season resume now for Davidson. And while the downtime was necessary, Davidson admitted that she did her best to avoid any coverage of the Euros, so raw are the wounds that still remain from Scotland's failure to make it. 'It is still sore and I have tried to avoid watching it as much as I can,' she said. 'I have a couple of Finnish team-mates who obviously put us out and while I wanted them to go and do well, it was a hard one to take. 'I think, though, that going away and playing at this standard and in a different environment has definitely made me a better player. 'There is a new regime with Scotland now under Melissa [Andreatta]. I thought the first camp felt like a breath of fresh air. It was all very positive and encouraging but the aim now has got to be to go and get ourselves to the World Cup.'
Scoop
28-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Scoop
Thus Spoke The Broken Chanteuse, The Lavish Second Album From Fast-rising Punk Group, Wet Kiss, Is Out Via Dinosaur City
[Friday, June 27, 2025] Rising Naarm/Melbourne glam-rock group, Wet Kiss, today release their highly anticipated sophomore album Thus Spoke the Broken Chanteuse, via Dinosaur City ahead of national tour dates this August. The first run of vinyl is an extremely limited-edition collectors item, with each record individually marked with a kiss of red lipstick, courtesy of the Broken Chanteuse herself, Brenna O. This will not be replicated in future pressings. Secure yours here before they disappear, or order a copy through your local record store. Thus Spoke the Broken Chanteuse, the antic glam-rock group's second record, is exactly what the title suggests. Our chanteuse here is the sensational jezebel Brenna O: Part Factory Girl, part Fassbinder heroine, all peroxide locks and shiny, skin-tight '$2 dresses', sneering and growling across the stage, mixing greasy punk with cabaret excess. Or as she likes to put it: 'the punk Bette Midler." What is she saying? Well, a few things. Produced by Andy McEwan, Thus Spoke the Broken Chanteuse is about the grubby pleasures of hopping on the Melbourne-to-Berlin artist pipeline. It's about 'daddy at the abattoir,' slaughtering piggies. It's about gloomy waits at the gender clinic so you can get your estrogen. It's about dingy, crap clubs, desolate glamour, strutting down the street with your dignity in tatters, upskirting, indulgence and the glory of turning fantasy into reality. The album name is also something of a joke, melding a music journalist's snide comment about the band ('broken chanteuse') with a nod to Nietzsche's Thus Spoke Zarathustra. The story of Wet Kiss is the story of myth-turned-real. Brenna knew what she wanted – glam-rock mutated for the adderall age – she just needed to find the players. So she put out ads in local rock magazines and found them: daniel dog (guitar), Al Amour (piano), Ben Addiction (bass), Ju Sugar (lead guitar), Ruby Rabbit (drums) and Agnes Wailin' (dubbed 'Screamin'' for their tenacious vocal belts). The band quickly moved in together, quickly put out their beguiling debut record She's So Cool, and quickly built a live reputation. Their performances left crowds gobsmacked: there were floppy bunny ears and buckets of sweat; costume changes and clothes ripped to smithereens; ecstatic howls and hilarious antagonism. The first single off Thus Spoke the Broken Chanteuse, 'Isn't Music Wonderful', is perhaps the best distillation of the band's sly, stylish lunacy. The song title is yelped in earnest, but is Brenna taking the piss? Music is wonderful – it shoves misfits together, it makes life worth living, it is a fleeting, euphoric high, hard to replicate chemically. But to be a musician is also a pain in the ass, where getting your dues is a long and tortuous path ('When am i gonna be a star / I'm searching in my bag for last nights drag' as Brenna sings). Nothing left to do except nurture dreams and delusions, and smack make-shift opulence onto every surface you can. The song is pure glam bombast: layers of honky-tonk piano, jeering back-up singers and Brenna hissing street-wise bon mots. ' It's about needing to self-actualise. The verses are all about that necessary posturing and self-deprecation, ' says Brenna. Plenty of Thus Spoke the Broken Chanteuse is brimming with this tension – between the hedonistic triumph of inventing oneself, and the dreary texture of modern life. Brenna became well acquainted with this conflict during a long stint in Berlin. Much of the record was written there, and as such, many of the songs are slathered in a thick glob of Weimar decadence. 'Chick from Nowhere' is a janky piano ballad (of pianist Aldo, Brenna affectionately calls them the 'Barry Manilow to my Bette Midler'), that descends into a full-blown rock opera, about picking up lovers in the early morning, relishing the freedom of being an unknown entity in an unknown city. The melody was written back in Melbourne, the band high on ecstasy and suddenly eager to write a really tight pop song. 'It's not really a standard pop song at all' laughs Brenna, 'it's more of a rock saloon song.' A couple of the album tracks deal with disastrous, yet funny and formative, gig mishaps abroad. 'Skirt' is a 70s rock anthem by way of 90s PJ Harvey, laden with whoof whistle samples, serving as a retort to leering audience members but also poking fun at Brenna's on-stage humiliation ('Girls get paid in fascination / even while the night gets wasted'). She had just moved to Berlin and was playing her first solo set, but the show didn't pan out as planned. 'I got really drunk on white wine and it was a disaster. I luckily saved it by bantering. I had my foot up on the amp the whole time, and after the set my friend was like, 'Oh my God, everyone was trying to peer up your skirt.' 'Pink Shadow' is grimy punk burlesque, about the convergence of taking hormones for the first time and trying to insert yourself in a new music scene. 'It's about intertwining the mythos of myself and the mythos of the city,' says Brenna. Elsewhere on the record, Wet Kiss are inserting themselves into lineages, old and new. The speedy punk of 'Metal Silhouette' toys with Burroughs' cut-up method, the drawl of 'Gender Affirmation Clinic,' sounds like something you might find on David Bowie's Space Oddity record. 'Babe' is a sauntering, lovestruck cover of the underappreciated folk song by artist Rick Penta. 'The Gay Band' is sweet glam magic, a glimmering anthem with lip-smacking vocals, about the death of friends and the metaphorical death of an old self. 'I want to carry on that spirit of dirty street decadence, but also the great tradition of self-invention,' says Brenna about the album. Wet Kiss catapulted onto the scene with the release of their debut album She's So Cool via Dero Arcade (cumgirl8, Divide & Dissolve) in 2022. In a somewhat shock move, Olver and daniel dog relocated to Berlin just a month after the album dropped. When plans of their 2024 return became public (alongside whispers of a new record), a frenzy was ignited with fans and media alike. One year on, Wet Kiss have played Melbourne Town Hall for RISING's sold-out DAY TRIPPER festivalalongside Bar Italia and HTRK, showcased at SXSW Sydney, made their 'Sup debut for Golden Plains alongside PJ Harvey and Fontaines D.C. and were invited to throw a secret house party for Dark Mofo 's Night Mass earlier this month. On top of that, they've scored support slots with Amyl & the Sniffers, RVG, Spike F*ck, CIVIC, Floodlights and Private Function, this momentum has been bolstered by critical acclaim from influential outlets like Sydney Morning Herald, Gusher Magazine, Frankie Magazine, Beat Magazine, Rolling Stone, Gusher Magazine, BBC 6, WFMU, 3RRR, PBS, among others. You can dunk yourself in Wet Kiss' filthy, lavish depths as they tour the new album across Australia this August.
