On April 16th, Brenda was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit for a massive stroke. She was flown to Nevada to meet her medical needs and that is where she has stayed as she has been immobile and incapacitated, alone and away from family. Brenda is showing signs of recovery, but it is going to be very slow and she cannot care for herself. Doctors estimate a lot of recovery and rehabilitation at this time.

The ultimate goal is to transport Brenda to the East Coast safely so that she can be supported with love by her children and grandchildren.

Brenda's 5 children Felicia, Breanna, Cody, James, and Melanie along with her grandchildren reside in the Midwest and East Coast. Her children are doing everything they can to advocate for their Mother to ensure that she is being cared for and are currently coordinating Brenda's transfer to a facility on the East Coast that can meet her medical needs and rehabilitation moving forward so they can continue to be present to be a part of her care.

Brenda cannot yet press the nurse call button or make any decisions on her own and is in and out of consciousness due to the stroke damage, so this is a very sensitive time. Brenda had surgery to add a feeding tube into her belly just the day before yesterday. She is breathing on her own but cannot swallow yet and she still has what is called an aspiration so her liquids and food are restricted. She cannot yet move any part of her body below her neck other than her right arm which is having some ticks due to the stroke which she does not yet have full control. She can currently see out of one eye, and has sense in all of her body but cannot yet sync motor coordination with those parts. When she does have a lucid moment she does remember her children.

Breanna shares, "Some days she thinks she is 7 years old in 1974 and that her Grandmother is still alive. Other times she is asking for our Dad, her husband of 24 years. She did not remember that he passed away :(. Heartbreak all over again. Every day is like the movie "50 First Dates"."

Her short-term memory is improving and she has been asking when her baby grandson is coming to the hospital. She currently has left-sided facial paralysis but we can see her smiling when the baby laughs!

Cody shares, "I am so glad the stroke did not take away my Mom's sass or humor. In the few words she can express she is making her family and nurses laugh."

Brenda's children and family have a lot of medical and legal logistics to navigate and are taking things day by day supporting one another to ensure the best recovery and support for their Mother.

Felicia shares,

"The hospital where Mom is staying is trying to make decisions without us and trying to discharge her to a facility where she would have no family support. We are standing firm that our Mother will go to a facility of our choosing so we can be present. She will need more care than what even a facility can provide. I am working tirelessly to navigate insurance coverage and medical transport for her short and long-term recovery. My siblings and I are empowered by our love for our Mother and her tenacity. She wants to live. I see miracles every day and stroke survivors do make strides in their recovery. Cody just toured a care facility that took in 20 stroke patients recently and they are discharging 7 today because of their rapid recovery. We know our Mom and the care team at the hospital continue sharing that she is doing so much better with family present and is more responsive even if those responses are small at this time. We are cheering for our Mom."

Brenda's children could use any financial support to help cover the high costs of visits, legal help, and transportation.

How your donation will be used:

Donations will go towards travel expenses including flights, hotel, vehicle rentals, that arise with last-minute urgent travel. Once Brenda is transferred they will receive their mother at her new facility. With Brenda close, all of her children will be able to visit her and aid in her continued care. Her grandson exclaims "You can do it Mamamama!"

Brenda's Medical Transport is currently quoted from $44,000 down to $15,896. Felicia has received multiple quotes from different Ambulatory Medical Transport Services and has been reaching out to charity medical transport organizations. Distance, time, and her Mother's very limited movement and medical monitoring are all factors in a long distance transport.

In addition to financial support, Brenda's children would love to connect with anyone who has any legal experience or advice for families under the circumstance of long-distance relative care and transport.

Thank you so much for all your support and love ♥