A Calgary family is raising money to send a mother of three to the United States for an experimental treatment after suffering a devastating stroke. Iffat Ara Shakti was 28 when she delivered her daughter, Julia, in June 2025. One week later, Shakti suffered a brain bleed associated with high blood pressure and went into a coma. She spent two months unconscious and suffered three strokes during that time. Doctors warned her husband Marco Martel to prepare for the worst. “Actually, at one point we thought that this was the end because of what the doctors were telling us,” Martel said. “But we are very faithful people, we kept praying for her to come through and it was truly a miracle recovery.” Shakti eventually regained consciousness and was able to leave hospital. Now, more than a year later, she is home with Martel and their three children but continues to live with significant effects from the strokes. The family has launched a GoFundMe campaign to help pay for an experimental treatment called perispinal etanercept, or PSE, which Martel believes could give his wife a chance at greater recovery. “We want to get her back. That’s the reason why we’re doing this.” A costly experimental treatment Etanercept is a drug that has been used for decades to treat inflammatory and autoimmune conditions, including rheumatoid arthritis. It works by blocking a molecule called tumour necrosis factor, or TNF, which plays a role in inflammation. But using etanercept as a perispinal injection to treat stroke-related neurological problems is an experimental, off-label use. It is not approved by Health Canada to treat stroke or post-stroke disability. Dr. Sean Dukelow, a professor in the University of Calgary’s Department of Clinical Neurosciences, says etanercept has been studied because of its anti-inflammatory properties, primarily in rheumatoid arthritis patients. In the case of stroke, researchers have studied injecting the drug into muscles outside the neck in an effort to affect neurological symptoms. Dukelow says reports of patients experiencing rapid improvements after receiving the injections eventually led to randomized controlled trials. A small trial involving 22 patients showed possible benefits for post-stroke pain, but a larger trial involving more than 100 patients found the treatment did not significantly improve function, walking or quality of life compared with a placebo. “So, it was essentially a large neutral trial looking at etanercept versus placebo,” he said. Dukelow says that means there is reason to be cautious about claims the treatment can reverse the effects of a stroke. “I think most of the community is pretty guarded. “You know right now it’s an experimental therapy, and because the trial was neutral, it hasn’t made it into our Canadian best practice guidelines for stroke care.” For Martel, the possibility of improvement is worth pursuing. “It would be nice to give it a shot to try to get my wife back to what she was before, and my kids to be able to experience having their mom again,” he said. The treatment is not available through Canada’s public health system. Martel says he has also been quoted roughly $6,000 to $7,000 per injection, with no word yet on how many treatments Shakti would need. A family changed forever For Martel, the hope of improving Shakti’s quality of life is deeply personal. His wife has aphasia, affecting her ability to communicate, along with severe short-term memory problems. “She has about a ten-minute memory, and you have to be reminding her about everything so she understands what’s going on throughout the day,” he said. The changes have also affected Shakti’s ability to care for their three children — five-year-old Hatem, two-year-old Kyian and one-year-old Julia. Martel has become Shakti’s primary caregiver, helping her change clothes, comb her hair and shower. “But I married her, I made a promise and said that I would be there through the good and the bad together so I will never give up,” he said. The family is also facing financial challenges because Martel cannot easily find work that accommodates his caregiving responsibilities. He says he has turned to Uber Eats and collecting scrap metal to help pay the bills. “That’s the main thing that I’m doing now – just going through back alleys with my wife and my kids or my truck.” For Shakti, much of what happened remains a blank. She says she does not remember giving birth to Julia or what happened afterward. “I don’t remember nothing, any of it, the baby getting born, then you coming to this house, I forget everything. I feel like I am nothing. “But I am so grateful for my husband who has been doing a lot for me and I’m really thankful.” Asked what she would say to people who could help her family pursue the treatment, Shakti said their support could help her regain some of the life she lost. “It would be really helpful if anyone could help me live again.” “My family means the world to me. I love them a lot. They are my life.” Rehabilitation remains standard treatment Dukelow says stroke recovery typically involves rehabilitation aimed at helping the brain adapt and regain as much function as possible. Depending on the severity of a stroke, patients can receive inpatient rehabilitation involving physical therapists, occupational therapists, speech-language pathologists, psychologists and social workers. Outpatient treatment can continue for months, and Calgary is also home to programs where therapists can visit patients in their homes. Dukelow says there are also clinical trials in Canada studying potential new approaches to stroke recovery. He works with the Canadian Stroke Recovery Trials group, which has studies looking at potential treatments for issues including movement, walking, mood, vision and upper-extremity function. “Because it’s research, it doesn’t cost anything,” he said. Dukelow says patients interested in participating can find information about eligibility and participating centres through the Canadian Stroke Recovery Trials website. Meanwhile, the Alberta government says stroke survivors may also be eligible for support through the Alberta Brain Injury Initiative, which connects adults with acquired brain injuries to agencies that provide service coordination, community-living supports, education and outreach. Alberta Health Services also provides several home and medical care services for stroke survivors and their families. The province says caregivers who temporarily leave work to provide care may qualify for federal Employment Insurance caregiving benefits, depending on their circumstances. Other financial supports may also be available, including the Canada Caregiver Credit, Alberta caregiver tax credits, and disability programs such as Assured Income for the Severely Handicapped and the Alberta Disability Assistance Program. Alberta’s Ministry of Primary and Preventative Care adds that it welcomes research into new treatments for stroke recovery. “If future evidence demonstrates that a treatment is safe, effective and supported by clinical evidence, it would be carefully reviewed through the appropriate health system processes, as is the case with any emerging medical treatment,” the ministry said in a statement. “Alberta’s focus is ensuring patients have access to care that is informed by medical expertise, supported by evidence and delivers the best possible health outcomes.”
