One morning, a 20-year-old promising curling athlete from Canada found herself unable to move. Only two hours later, doctors delivered the devastating news – she was paralyzed from the neck down.

Brooklyn Aleksic, a resident of Abbotsford, B.C., was swiftly diagnosed with a rare neurological disorder upon her admission to Regina General Hospital in June.

This disorder, characterized by spinal cord inflammation, has resulted in Aleksic, who is the daughter of esteemed curler Shannon Joanisse, facing paralysis from her neck downwards.

‘Basically, within two hours of waking up that morning, she was completely paralyzed from her neck down,’ Joanisse told CTV News.

Since her diagnosis, the 20-year-old University of Victoria student has undergone several plasma exchanges in hopes of one day walking – and curling – again.

‘At the end of this week, she will have had 14 plasma exchanges, and each exchange takes approximately almost 13 donors to provide enough plasma for one,’ her former curling coach, Diane Dezura explained to CTV.  

‘Brook will have had 14, and that totals 175 donors. So it’s really important to her (to get the message out about plasma donation).’ 

Brooklyn Aleksic, 20, of Abbotsford, B.C., was diagnosed with a rare neurological condition shortly after arriving at Regina General Hospital, having awoken one morning in June unable to move. Pictured: Brooklyn Aleksic in the hospital

The condition, which causes inflammation of the spinal cord, has left Aleksic, the daughter of well-known curler Shannon Joanisse, paralyzed from the neck down. Pictured: Brooklyn Aleksic (left) with her well-known curler mother, Shannon Joanisse (right)

A GoFundMe campaign launched by her former coach has already raised $60,679 (CAD $82,425) toward its $66,256 (CAD $90,000) goal.

According to the fundraising page, the donations will help ease the financial burden of Aleksic’s care, covering medical services such as transportation, rehabilitation, wheelchair equipment, and more.

‘She remains in hospital far from home and requires medical transport to Vancouver to begin long-term rehabilitation and be close to her friends and family. But this is just the start. From wheelchairs and equipment to adaptive modifications and 24/7 support, the costs are overwhelming,’ the fundraising page reads.

‘We’ve launched this GoFundMe to ease the financial pressure on Brook and her family, so they can focus on healing, not hardship.’

While the funds will help with her care, the family says plasma donations are just as critical.

The family remains hopeful that Aleksic will be able to begin long-term rehabilitation in the near future, CTV News reported.

In addition to her mom’s athletic prowess and stardom, Aleksic has had her own fame as well, appearing in the 2024 documentary Curl Power, which followed her Maple Ridge-based curling team. Pictured: Brooklyn Aleksic with her Maple Ridge-based curling team

A GoFundMe campaign has since been launched by her former coach and has already raised $60,679 (CAD $82,425) toward its $66,256 (CAD $90,000) goal. Pictured: Brooklyn Aleksic (center right) with her family

‘She has a huge circle of friends, she’s a ray of light in everybody’s life,’ Joanisse told the outlet. 

‘She’s positive. She’s a fighter, and Brooklyn thrives academically. She’s going to UVic to become an elementary school teacher.’

In addition to her mom’s athletic prowess and stardom, Aleksic has had her own fame as well, appearing in the 2024 documentary Curl Power, which followed her Maple Ridge-based curling team.

The film was screened in theaters across Canada, tracking the ups and downs of the team as the girls pushed to compete in the Canadian Junior Curling Championships.

Transverse myelitis, the condition Aleksic was diagnosed with, is extremely rare – affecting only about one in a million people per year.