Squamish biologist Meagan Leicht is raising funds to access surgery for a debilitating condition that Canada’s healthcare system does not cover. Her GoFundMe campaign, launched May 29, has raised over $46,000 CAD toward a $122,000 goal through more than 150 donations so far.
Just two and a half years ago, Leicht wrote on her GoFundMe, she was living an active life in Squamish, mountain biking, kayaking, snowboarding, scuba diving for work, and dancing. Then her health began to change rapidly. She started experiencing unexplained weight gain, pain and swelling throughout her limbs, fatigue, menstrual cycle changes, and migraines. After a long road, she received a diagnosis of lipolymphedema, a condition in which the lymphatic system becomes so overwhelmed that it can no longer drain fluid properly, leading to chronic swelling, pain, tissue damage, and progressive loss of mobility.
“My day to day these last 2.5 years has progressed to where I can barely walk somedays, a constant need to elevate my feet to reduce the blood pooling and swelling, and an inability to do many of the activities that I once loved without excruciating pain and burden,” Leicht wrote.
According to Leicht, there is no cure for lipolymphedema, but surgery to remove the affected fibrous tissue can dramatically improve quality of life and slow the condition’s progression. The problem, Leicht writes, is that Canada does not recognize lipedema as a disease, unlike the United States, Germany, and the International Classification of Diseases established in 2019. There are no practitioners in Canada who specialize in lipedema surgery, and even manual lymphatic drainage, one of the key conservative treatments, is not an insured service in British Columbia.
Leicht said Germany is a global leader in lipedema research and treatment. In July 2025, Germany’s Federal Joint Committee formally recognized surgical removal of affected tissue as medically necessary and extended public insurance coverage for it. Leicht is planning three surgeries there, along with the post-operative care, compression garments, and travel required for each trip.
Beyond asking for financial help, Leicht is also encouraging community members to sign a federal petition calling on the Government of Canada to include lipedema within the scope of the National Women’s Health Strategy, and to write to the Provincial Health Minister to push for recognition and coverage of the condition. Template letters and resources are available through her GoFundMe page.
In a June 8 update, Leicht shared that her first surgery is booked for the fall, at approximately $40,600 per surgery. She expressed gratitude to everyone who has donated, shared the campaign, signed the petition, or sent messages of support.
“I love my work and my community and I haven’t been able to support the many ways I have in my local networks,” she wrote. “I miss mentoring, I miss contributing, I miss sharing – it is all so important to me and gives me purpose in this crazy human life.””
Those who want to support can find Leicht’s campaign here.
