Our Mother Lan Ho

In September of 2014 my mother Lan was diagnosed with TIA (Transient Ischemic Attacks) also known as mini strokes. For the next few months my mom saw doctors and had many tests done. The doctors discovered that my mom has Moyamoya disease. The term Moyamoya (Japanese for "puff of smoke") refers to the appearance on angiography of abnormal vascular collateral networks that develop adjacent to the stenosis vessels.  Her internal carotid artery does not supply enough blood flow to her brain. After learning about her diagnosis my mother continued to feel her mini attacks. The strokes started off slow 10 – 20 minutes. As time went by the strokes lasted longer, 30 – 40 minutes. On May 1st my mother was in the hospital as her attack was so severe where her face drooped, slurred words and her right arm and leg went numb. They gave her heparin (blood thinners) and she was able to regain her speech and movements in her face, arm and leg.  I flew from Florida to Chicago that very night. The next day I saw my mom I asked her”how do you feel?”.  She responded “I am fine.”  The doctor said she would be released on Monday May 4th to consult with a neurosurgeon to discuss having surgery.  My mother Lan, Jenny and I were pleased during our conversation with the neurosurgeon and the surgery was set for Friday May 8th 2015. On the morning of the surgery around 10am we said see you later and I love you. When we left her she was still speaking clearly and aware of what was going on. They proceeded to operate on my mom’s brain for 3-4 hours.  My sister and I were allowed to see her around 4pm. The moment we saw our mom she had a seizure.  They immediately ran CT Scans and MRI and hooked EEG (electroencephalogram) on her head to measure electrical activity in her brain. We didn’t get the results until 5am on Saturday May 9th 2015. “I’m sorry but your mother had 2 strokes.”  We were devastated. These two strokes left her unable to communicate, eat or drink, walk or stand. She wasn’t aware of her surroundings.  

   My mother is a fighter and a survivor. She raised 3 great kids and taught us how to love, be understanding, and to have patience. My mother has touched many lives and she is loved by many. Her recovery will be long and intensive. She is learning how to eat again. She is in her own world but slowly regaining consciousness and becoming more alert. She will be spending many hours a day doing speech and physical therapy. Every day that passes she shows more improvement and that makes us happy and hopeful. She will one day see the light and come back.

My family and I are asking for donations to help her recovery. It is a long, slow, and expensive journey we are faced with and we cannot do it alone. Any donation, large or small, will help us tremendously. If you can’t donate, maybe you can share this in hopes it will reach someone who can. Thank you for taking the time to read this.