A 48-year-old single mother of four in Canada has been struggling for ten years with systemic scleroderma, a disorder that was slowly killing her. Doctors said she'd likely die within a year.

Her only hope was to travel to Chicago for an innovative stem cell transplant treatment by a pioneering U.S. doctor. The process would give her an 80 percent chance for a cure, but it costs $125,000 (US).

She and her family started raising funds two months ago, but had collected just $13,000.

Inside was a bank draft for $128,000.

(READ the story from the Ottawa Citizen – Photo by Michael Toy via CC license – Story tip: Mike Chartrand