Stroke Strikes Everyone's Aunt Mickey

On Sunday May 18, 2014 our beloved Aunt Mickey suffered a stroke.  She is super-fit Alaska Outdoors Woman and is only in her early 50's.  She said she felt a pain in her head like nothing she has ever felt before - she pulled herself to her phone and called 911 and waited for the ambulance to take her to the hospital where she has been since.  She is VERY LUCKY to be alive.  The stroke has left her with impaired speech and difficulty with motor skills.  Right now she can take about 50 steps with a walker and is hopeful to move up to a cane soon.  She is a super strong, determined woman and although it will be a long road - we are praying she can make a full recovery.  Aunt Mickey is single and lives in Bear Valley, Alaska with family in Illinois, Indiana, Arkansas, Georgia and Florida.

I'm Aunt Mickey's niece - Lisa.  Aunt Mickey is my favorite Aunt - she is also the favorite Aunt of my brother and six other cousins and the favorite Aunt of our own children - 18 great nieces and nephews with 3 more on the way!  She is loved and cherished by almost everyone she meets - she is Everybody's Aunt Mickey.  A friend of mine took his family up to Alaska and stayed at Aunt MIckey's rustic home with a pot belly stove and beer chilling in the creek.  They all raved their favorite part of Alaska was Mickey!  

Aunt Mickey is not afraid of hard work.  She works two jobs and sometimes more to make ends meet.  She works as a school security guard and does theraputic massage therapy after work - with a special spot in her heart for the elderly.  A couple years ago - she took a leave of absence from her jobs to be with her older brother John in his final days.  She helped my Aunt clean houses and worked at a grocery store to make extra money to fund her stay.  She would never ask for a hand-out - she is a hard, hard worker.

As she spends the next several months recovering from her stroke, bills are piling up as well as unexpected expenses.  The cousins all pitched in to fund a plane ticket to Alaska so her older brother Chuck can be there with her.  Aunt Mickey would never ask for money - so we are doing this fundraiser for her.  If you ever had an Aunt that let you drive her jeep at 7, took you rock climbing in the mountains, or gave you a rock for your birthday that became your most cherished possession - you are lucky enough to have an Aunt like ours.  Mickey is the baby of the family with brothers and a sister 10 + her senior so she wasn't much older than us growing up!  She gave us all the gift of time and made memories with each and everyone of us.  She put together a cookbook of our grandparents favorite family recipes and gave it to each of the cousins - it's a very precious gift.  

If you could possibly spare some extra money - know it is going to one of God's angels on Earth.  She's Everybody's Auntie Mickey!

Love The Cousins
Jodi, Jimmy, Jeannie, Jason, Jeremiah, Lisa, Pauly, Annie