Julianne Stickley Post-Stroke Recovery

On Christmas Day Julianne experienced a dissected carotid artery that formed a clot and blocked the blood flow to the right side of her brain, causing a stroke. The stroke affected the left side of her body and she partially lost vision in both eyes. Fortunately, she was in Durham visiting family and was taken to Neuro Surgical ICU at Duke for care. Julianne underwent surgery to place stints in her carotid artery. She experienced some post-operative brain swelling and spent 5 days in the ICU before being moved to the Stroke Unit. On Monday, January 9th she will begin acute in-patient rehab where she will begin intensive physical and occupational therapy to regain control and function of the left side of her body.

In true Stickley fashion, the whole family is taking everything in stride. Callie (2 years) and Desi (2 months) have transitioned seamlessly to living with their grandparents in Durham. Jon has canceled recent performances to support Julianne and their boys. Julianne is in good spirits and is already tackling her speech and physical therapy goals. She has begun to regain some function in her left arm and leg and was even able to place weight on her left leg during a recent physical therapy session. Julianne’s main goal is to get back on her feet and back to Asheville so that Callum can resume his own physical, occupational, and speech therapy routine.

While Julianne's prognosis is good and the Stickleys have a robust support system, the coming days, weeks, and months will be full of new and unexpected challenges. Julianne has a lot of hard work ahead of her as she relearns to walk and rebuilds her motor function. She will be at the in-patient rehab unit at Duke for weeks, if not months. Due to the nature of her treatment plan, Julianne is currently unable to breastfeed Desmond and they are now supplementing with formula. Jon has scaled back his performance schedule, and he and the boys have temporarily relocated to Durham while Julianne recovers. Please consider supporting the Stickleys by contributing to this general fund for formula, medical bills, gas, hospital snacks, and whatever other needs may arise so that they may focus on healing and recovery.