Nicole Sedore
Day 4 · September 11, 2026 · 0:22:26
Key points Nicole Sedore, now 50, is a single mother of two from Grand Prairie, Alberta, who worked as a community support worker at a women's shelter and was a former elite competitive swimmer. She says she was healthy with no medications when she took a Pfizer shot in April 2021, feeling pressured to keep her job and protect her immunocompromised son. Within days her hand swelled to three times its size, and she says several doctors dismissed it before a proper diagnosis was made. In January 2022 her family doctor found a large blood clot under her armpit that had gone undiagnosed for about eight months, plus a 10-millimeter brain aneurysm. She underwent brain surgery in April 2022 in which surgeons placed 13 coils and a stent, but she says the aneurysm has since grown and is now deemed inoperable. She describes being denied disability benefits and VISP compensation, financial insecurity, and having to arrange for her 18-year-old to raise his younger brother if she dies. She says her greatest struggle is her mental health, describing daily crying, constant head pressure, and a do-not-resuscitate arrangement communicated to her children via a sticky note.
Speaker 1
0:01 Our next witness is Nicole Sidor. 0:05 Nicole, will you take the Bible in your right hand? Speaker 2
0:14 Nicole Sidor, do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help me God? Speaker 2
0:29 You're going to talk about some injuries, and you did not have COVID when you were injured. Speaker 3
0:35 No, I did not. Speaker 2
0:35 Or before you were injured. Speaker 3
0:37 No, I did not. Speaker 2
0:38 Now, you're 50 now, so you would have been 45 on the events that we're talking about. 0:45 You are a single mom now, raising two kids. 0:50 The fathers of the two children have both passed. 0:54 They have. 0:55 Yeah, so they're not there to pick up any slack, which is when we'll describe in a minute, is a concern. 1:05 Pre-vaccine, you were working at the Odyssey House, which is a woman's shelter for domestic violence. 1:10 You were working as a community support worker. 1:13 This was a full-time job. 1:15 Health-wise, you were like an avid swimmer. 1:19 I didn't pick the photo, but 1:22 You sent me a photo, which is really a trophy case of swimming trophies where you'd won swimming competitions. 1:29 You said I was with the Master Swimming Club. 1:32 So you were an elite swimmer and you were still swimming and you were an avid runner. 1:38 You're no medications, no pre-existing things. 1:41 You're an extremely healthy young woman at the time of age 45. 1:47 And then on April 23rd, 2020, you took the Pfizer shot, actually 21. 1:52 Sorry, we spoke earlier about that. 1:55 Can you share with me what had happened after that? Speaker 3
1:59 Yeah. 1:59 So I'll just, I'm just going to say my son's names because I want them on the record. Speaker 3
2:05 Yeah. 2:06 So my oldest boy at the time was 13 and he was also very ill at the time. 2:13 He had been left in the hospital with a ruptured appendix for almost three days. 2:17 and he almost died. 2:19 So he was very, very, very sick at the time. 2:22 My partner who was deceased a year in two days, he was very sick. 2:28 And so I was working at the Odyssey House. 2:30 So I had two children, two people in my home that were immune compromised. 2:35 And then I had a little one, Lincoln Speed, which I want him on the record as well. 2:39 He was six at the time. 2:41 So the email started coming that I was going to lose my job if I did not take the vaccine. 2:47 I also had my son's doctors from the Stollery Hospital in Edmonton calling me and basically telling me if I did not vaccinate my son, he would die if he got COVID. 3:00 And I was made to feel like I was a horrible mother if I did not take this vaccine. 3:06 And I needed my job. 3:07 I was the breadwinner. 3:08 And I was barely keeping a roof over our head. 3:11 And, you know, I've been working since I was 12. 3:13 I love working. 3:14 I love my job. 3:16 So... 3:17 Within a couple days after my first vaccine, my hand, this hand, blew up. 3:22 It was about that large. 3:24 And not thinking anything of it because I'm working. 3:29 I got a busy life. 3:31 Went to the first doctor to talk about my fat hand. 3:34 That's kind of what I would joke about, me and my fat hand. Speaker 2
3:36 But let me slow you down. 3:39 It was three times the size of normal. 3:41 Oh, yeah. 3:43 We're not talking minor swelling. 3:44 We're talking a significant 3:47 amount of swelling and discomfort in that. Speaker 3
3:51 Yeah. 3:52 So I went to the clinic, um, showed him my hands and I'm not picking up that it's to do with anything. 4:00 Um, he sent me for an ultrasound. 4:02 So they did an ultrasound all the way up here, but stopped right here, got the call, didn't see anything, sent me on my way. 4:09 So I continued my life and the girls at work are like, man, like you need to go get that checked out. 4:15 Like, 4:16 Doesn't look normal, of course. 4:19 And I went back to that clinic, saw another doctor, and this particular doctor gave me three pills of prednisone, said, take this, see if that does anything, and took those, didn't do anything. 4:32 So then I went back a third time, and this particular doctor told me to put, while I was sitting, to put my hand up over my head like this and do this. 4:42 That was his solution and that I could go get a compression thing for my hand. 4:48 So at this point, I'm wearing a compression sock on my hand. 4:53 So then finally, at the end of 2021, I went to my family doctor who has been an absolute blessing and showed him my fat hand. 5:04 And he's like, well, that doesn't look normal. 5:06 And I'm like, no, it doesn't. 5:08 So he sent me to an internal specialist. 5:11 So I went to my internal specialist who has also been a blessing. 5:15 And he's looking at it. 5:18 He's like, he couldn't figure it out. 5:21 And he's like, maybe it's something with your neck. 5:22 I don't know. 5:23 I'm just going to do a scan of your upper extremities. 5:26 So I go for a scan of my upper extremities. 5:30 So at this time, I go down to at the end of 2021, I go down to B.C., 5:36 for Christmas and I'm wearing a compression sock on my hand at this point. 5:41 I come back to Grand Prairie and it's a January 30th of 2022 and it's a Sunday afternoon and my phone's ringing and it's my family doctor and I'm at work and I answer the phone. 5:54 I'm like, you know, and he goes, so I got the results of your, of your scan. 6:01 and we can see that you have a massive blood clot underneath your armpit. 6:05 So I had a blood clot that was forming underneath my armpit, which if they would have continued with that ultrasound, they would have seen that, but they didn't. 6:16 So I had a massive blood clot right here, and I'm kind of like, okay, what do we got to do? 6:22 I got a life to live. 6:23 And he's like, oh, that's not all. Speaker 2
6:25 So I'm just going to stop here because your hands started swelling. Speaker 2
6:29 In April. 6:30 April. 6:30 So we're talking, you had a blood clot in your armpit for eight months that went undiagnosed. Speaker 3
6:36 Yes. 6:38 Eight months. 6:40 And then he continues to go, and that's not all. 6:43 You also have a brain aneurysm sitting in the back of my head. 6:49 This was on January 30th. 6:51 And I almost nearly fell over. 6:55 Immediately thinking of my children. 6:58 Sorry. 7:00 So I'm like, am I going to die? Speaker 2
7:03 I just want to unpack this because if that aneurysm bursts, you die. Speaker 2
7:11 And you do end up having brain surgery, but you still have the problem. Speaker 2
7:16 So can you describe that for us? Speaker 3
7:18 So he sent me back to my internal specialist who has been very honest with me and who has signed my papers that he'd never met anybody like me before. 7:28 And I 7:30 I've never met anybody with a blood clot. 7:32 I've never known anybody with an aneurysm. 7:34 You hear about aneurysms after the fact, after somebody usually has passed away. 7:38 And he's like, you're going to need surgery. 7:42 So my aneurysm was 10 millimeters sitting in the back of my head, which I know now from talking to my vascular neurosurgeon, he had never operated on an aneurysm so large and saw an aneurysm that hadn't ruptured. 7:56 So he sent me out. 7:58 He sent the referral out to a neurosurgeon. 8:01 That neurosurgeon sent it back because where it sits is so close to my nerve endings for my eyes and he would refuse to touch it. 8:09 So it got re-sent out to a vascular neurosurgeon. 8:12 So immediately when I found out who that was going to be, I started calling. 8:17 I was emailing pictures of me and my boys to please see me because I didn't want to die. 8:24 So my first appointment with that vascular neurosurgeon was on April 1st of 2022. 8:32 And he blew up my head on a screen. 8:36 I chose not to Google anything and not to do anything because I just wanted to get there and get the surgery. 8:44 So I went there April 1st of 2022 and he explained to me what he was going to do. 8:50 He was going to be putting coils in my head and 8:54 So I drove out to Edmonton and every time I have to go to Edmonton, it's five hours. 8:58 Like I'm driving back and forth and back and forth and back and forth by myself. 9:02 And so on April 1st, he told me what he was going to do. 9:07 I was like, okay, when can this happen? 9:09 Drove home. 9:11 Also, on my way home, I got the first call about my oldest boy's dad had passed away in a car accident. 9:16 So I had to go home and tell my oldest son that his dad had passed away and turn around and go back to Edmonton. 9:22 And I got my first got my surgery on April 19th of 2022. 9:27 Put 13 coils in my head and a stent and basically him telling me that he's probably going to eventually need to put more coils in my head. 9:37 So I got that surgery, came home. 9:40 I was off work. 9:44 Then I went back to work and I tried to go back to work after six months. 9:49 And my mental health had become so terrible at this point. 9:54 I tried to go on a mental health leave from my work. 9:56 I was denied my benefits because I was not taking prescription medication. 10:02 I have it in the email. 10:03 So I was denied my benefits. Speaker 2
10:05 I just want to slow you down and stick with this brain. 10:08 Yeah. 10:09 Because they put coils on it to try and prevent it from growing and bursting. 10:14 But my understanding is it's continued to grow. Speaker 3
10:18 Yes. 10:18 So at this time, so we are four years. 10:22 So I can go, I suffer from pressure in my head. 10:27 I've got the deep vein thrombosis, which I've heard multiple times here. 10:30 I suffer from pressure in my head, especially in the winter. 10:35 migraines, headaches. Speaker 2
10:36 But I just want to stick with this aneurysm for a second. 10:39 So they've told you it's actually too dangerous to operate. Speaker 3
10:42 Yeah, so the residual in my brain aneurysm has increased twice. 10:47 So I got a hold of my vascular neurosurgeon and we had a conversation and I said, okay, you have said you're going to put more coils in my head. 10:57 Like, let's do that. 10:59 So about six months ago, we had the conversation and his 11:03 What he said to me was like, oh, no, no, no, no, no, Nicole, it's an abnormal brain aneurysm right now. 11:09 It's unoperable. 11:11 It's too dangerous to operate on my head, and we just have to monitor it. Speaker 2
11:17 But that means you're taking time bomb. 11:20 It could burst any time. Speaker 2
11:22 And if it bursts, you die. Speaker 2
11:26 And when you were describing this to me in an earlier interview, you said to me that every day... 11:33 You cry. Speaker 3
11:34 Every day. 11:36 Every day. 11:38 What you see here is who people see. 11:41 But what we don't talk about is the despair, the abandonment, the financial insecurity. 11:50 For me and my boys, as a single mother, you know, it's awful. 11:56 I've had to sit down and talk with my son. 11:59 I've just prayed that I could make it to my son's graduation. 12:03 And he graduated in June, but he has also taken on the role of, we had to sit down and have the conversation that if something happens to me, my 18 year old, who's working in the oil field right now, that he will raise my son. 12:19 He will raise his brother. 12:21 We've had to plan for the worst and hope for the best. Speaker 2
12:24 So I just want to slow this down so people understand because both fathers are deceased. 12:29 There's nobody to step in if you die. 12:34 To raise your two boys. 12:35 And so you've had to speak with your 18-year-old son and get him to agree that he's going to raise his brother, who is currently 11. Speaker 2
12:51 You've also had to set up your will. 12:55 It's not that you have anything. Speaker 3
12:56 I have nothing. Speaker 2
12:57 But what's there, it just makes it clear to the boys so that they can raise each other. 13:05 And you've also had to talk to your boys about you not being revived if that brain aneurysm bursts. 13:15 Can you talk about that and what the conversation is like with your boys when you have this? Speaker 3
13:21 Well, having to go through all of this, the only reason I have a roof over my head and my boys is my parents. 13:29 Because... 13:30 My doctor has written me off work many, many, many times. 13:34 You need to take it easy. 13:35 You need to take it easy. 13:36 Well, I can't. 13:37 I've been denied, denied disability, denied everything. 13:44 Sorry, what was the question? 13:45 I'm sorry. Speaker 2
13:46 Oh, no, it's perfectly all right. 13:48 I'm sorry. 13:49 I was just pointing out that you basically have a document saying don't revive me if that brain aneurysm bursts. Speaker 2
13:56 But you've actually had to talk because there's nobody else for them to, your kids, your 18-year-old's going to have to make that decision and give those directions. Speaker 3
14:07 I don't want to be a burden on my children. 14:11 I feel like a burden on my family already. 14:14 And so I do not want to be revived because I don't want to be a burden on my children. Speaker 2
14:19 Right. 14:19 But you've had to have the discussion with an 18-year-old that if you get the call, you tell them don't revive them. Speaker 3
14:26 My children have grown up with a sticky note. 14:28 My son, my little one was six. 14:30 We've had a sticky note on our fridge. 14:32 And I was speaking with him before I came here and asking him how this has affected him. 14:37 He's like, all I know is I go to that sticky note. 14:40 If mom goes down, I call 911 and I tell them it's a brain aneurysm. 14:44 Hurry up, because if you take too long, she will be dead. 14:48 And that is the reality of how my children have grown in these last five years. Speaker 2
14:57 David, I think we do have some slides on this. 15:00 Oh, I thought I'd asked you about that. 15:02 Well, that's okay. 15:06 What's been the most difficult part about this? Speaker 3
15:10 My mental health. 15:14 Yeah, my mental health. 15:16 I've made a conscious decision. 15:18 I'm not angry anymore. 15:22 Because if I'm angry, it just adds stress. 15:26 And that's going to take away the joy that I have with my children. 15:30 I try and hang on to every moment, every day. 15:35 My mental health, the financial insecurity, there's no stability. 15:40 The denials, the gaslighting, the way I've been spoken to. 15:47 Yeah, and just not knowing where the next dollar is going to come from. 15:52 You know, there's been times where I've only had money to feed my children. 15:56 I don't eat. 15:59 You know, it's awful. 16:02 You know, I've been working since I'm 12. 16:05 I'm a hard worker. 16:06 You take somebody's health away and they can't go to work. 16:10 And I've always been the breadwinner. 16:11 And I'm okay with that. 16:13 I've always been okay with that. 16:14 I've always been able to take care of myself and be independent. 16:18 And there's some days where my head is just, you know, it 16:23 The pressure, the pressure behind my eyes. 16:25 You know, some days I feel okay, but there's no, you don't know how you're going to feel from day to day. 16:31 And coming into winter, I don't know how I'm going to feel. 16:35 I don't know. 16:36 I'm always trying to think about that. 16:38 I have nothing for my children. 16:39 If something happens to me, there's no money. 16:41 There's a minivan with two years left to pay on it. 16:45 You know? 16:47 So, yeah, it's just, it's awful. 16:53 It's total, it's just hell. 16:56 I don't know if I can say that. 16:57 That's what it feels like some days. 16:59 You know, and people will say, because when they appear to meet me, I have to tell everybody around me, if I go down, don't try and resuscitate me. 17:11 But, you know, people say, oh, try not to think about it. 17:14 Well, I can't. 17:14 It's literally in the back of my head. 17:17 I can feel the construction site in the back of my head. Speaker 4
17:25 Nicole, I want to thank you for coming today, and I want to ask the RMPs if they've got any questions. 17:36 And I'll just ask a question. 17:38 Nicole, you know, once again, I'm reminded that so many people that show up here have got so many things to juggle, right? 17:48 You've got to worry about health issues. 17:50 You've got to worry about family issues. 17:53 And, you know, probably more importantly or most importantly, and the whole mix of that is financially, how do you keep everything together? 18:02 So, you know, how do you, you talked about your younger boy, but as you talk to your kids in general, how do those conversations go in terms of how do they feel about what they've seen their mother go through? Speaker 3
18:19 My boys are amazing. 18:21 They've had to grown up so fast. 18:25 We don't talk about it all the time. 18:27 We don't talk about it. 18:28 I don't want to talk about it all the time. 18:33 But the pressure, especially on my oldest, is immense. 18:38 You know, my parents have, you know, they're hardworking, Alberta-born kids. 18:48 You know, they've been incredible. 18:49 But as a 50-year-old woman to have to ask your parents, the only reason I'm here today is because of my mother. 18:54 I'm wearing her clothes. 18:58 You know, I don't want to die before my parents die. 19:04 That's one of my biggest fears. 19:06 Because I've already been through enough. 19:08 My family's been through enough to witness this. 19:12 You know, most days I feel okay, but a lot of days I don't, but I don't talk about it. 19:18 Nobody wants to hear about my burning head and, you know, but some days it's unbearable. 19:24 But you go to work because that's what you have to do as a mother to put food on the table. 19:29 Like I do what I can, even though the doctors are, you know, you need to take it easy. 19:35 There's just no other options. 19:37 My doctors, I did the thing. 19:39 I went to the doctors. 19:40 They signed the papers, sent it off. 19:43 And I got denied from VISP. 19:46 It was a year ago. 19:47 Oh, you can appeal. 19:49 So it was appealed right away. 19:50 That was a year ago. 19:51 I don't know. 19:53 My doctor made me fill out the paperwork for disability, denied, you know. 19:59 So I've just chosen to just keep on working, do what I can when I can to try and help. Speaker 4
20:08 And I would also guess because of what an elite athlete you were, you probably weathered some of this 20:17 better than most. 20:18 And that's not undermining what you have to deal with. Speaker 3
20:20 Yeah. 20:21 Like I love to swim. 20:22 Swimming is my thing. 20:23 I'm scared to swim, to be honest with you at the moment, because swimming, you're alone in your thoughts. 20:32 And I'm scared to swim sometimes because when something happens, then I'm really a goner. 20:39 You know, even swimming, 20:42 like my internal specialist and my vascular neurosurgeon, because at one point I was on two blood thinners, one for this and one for my head. 20:50 And so they've had to come together. 20:52 And the conclusion when they talked was like, she's on too many blood thinners because I was getting dizzy. 20:58 And so my internal specialist, like we've decided that we're going to put you on the one blood thinner just for your head, because if something's going to go haywire, we'd rather it go haywire with clotting, not with your brain. 21:10 So, 21:12 And I am on Alberta benefits, and they won't even pay for my blood thinner because the conversation was my vascular neurosurgeon is not educated enough to prescribe this medication because it's supposed to come from a cardiologist. 21:26 So I have to pay for that every month, which is $90. 21:30 Like, it's just one thing after another. 21:35 There is no help for people like me. 21:40 For that, that's my boys. Speaker 4
21:42 And so maybe one final question. 21:44 What type of costs do you have to incur for medicine or treatment? Speaker 3
21:50 Medicine, I don't do anything else because I don't have money to do anything else. Speaker 4
21:54 So you would do more if you could? Speaker 3
21:56 Yes, there's lots of things I would like to do. 21:58 I would like to, you know, with my trauma and stuff, there's lots of things that would probably help me in a day-to-day, but I don't. 22:05 I can't. 22:07 It's food and shelter. 22:10 That's all. Speaker 4
22:12 Well, Nicole, thank you very much for being here today. 22:14 Thank you for traveling great distances to share your stories. 22:17 It's all important. 22:18 So thank you. Speaker 3
22:20 Thank you for doing this.