August 2024
Dystonia Medical Research Foundation (DMRF) Canada is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2024 Jackson Mooney Patient Grant for Dystonia (JMPG). This annual grant, established by Jackson and Jefferson Mooney, aims to provide financial assistance of up to $5,000 for Canadian residents living with dystonia who are in financial need and committed to enhancing their current situation through furthering their education.
This year’s recipients, Andrée-Anne Plante and Ellen Doria have demonstrated exceptional dedication and resilience in their personal and academic pursuits.
Andrée-Anne Plante
Andrée-Anne is currently a student at the University of Montréal pursuing a bachelor’s degree in criminal studies in addition to her bachelor’s degree in psychology from Université du Québec à Montréal and a certificate in criminology from the University of Montréal. In 2018, she suffered a serious physical assault at work, leading to her developing cervical dystonia and dystonia of the right upper limb. Since then, she has had to learn to use only her left hand and has undergone multiple surgeries. In addition to her dystonia, Andrée-Anne has suffered from Crohn’s disease since she was a child.
Andrée-Anne was an educator at the Centre Jeunesse de Montréal before the assault where she developed a passion for helping young offenders rehabilitate, empower themselves, and reintegrate into society. Her experience in this role, along with her work as a psychosocial worker at a mental health day centre, inspired her to pursue a career in criminology to help victims of crime.
The JMPG will help her focus entirely on her studies and gain new skills to achieve her goal of becoming a member of the Ordre des criminologues du Québec.
Ellen Doria
Ellen first developed dystonia symptoms at age twelve but did not receive a correct diagnosis of generalized dystonia until she was twenty years old. In addition to her dystonia, she also has muscle weakness, spasticity, autism, and Tourette’s syndrome. Despite these conditions, Ellen is highly active in para-sports, enjoys the outdoors with her service dog, and is highly involved in the autistic community – regularly facilitating meetups.
Ellen is entering her third year of a Bachelor of Science program, majoring in Applied Mathematics and Computing Information Systems, at Athabasca University. Her goal is to help the disability community through assistive technology, having experienced its significant impact on her life. The JMPG will provide the financial support needed for Ellen to continue her education and pursue her dream of creating innovative assistive technologies that make a significant impact on the lives of disabled individuals.
DMRF Canada expresses profound gratitude to Jackson and Jefferson Mooney and the JMPG Committee for their continued unwavering support of this Grant.