While babysitting her grandson the morning of March 7, our lives changed in an instant and sent our world upside down when mom suffered a severe and debilitating stroke. Rushed by ambulance to Rush Copley Hospital in Aurora, mom was immediately transferred to Rush Chicago Hospital where surgeons performed a lifesaving thrombectomy. Her stroke recovery began in ICU and continued for several months through multiple rehabilitation facilities including Alexian Brothers Acute Rehabilitation Hospital, The Pearl of Elk Grove, and Carelink Home Health. Since August, Kathy has been receiving intensive therapy at the Alexian Brothers Shirley Ryan Ability Lab to treat both her apraxia and aphasia conditions. Her sessions are three times per week, each for three hours, and include physical, occupational, and speech therapies.

Kathy continues to face a long road to recovery, including relearning how to walk, speak, and function as she did prior to her stroke. Our family considers her continued therapy treatments at Shirley Ryan crucial in helping mom regain her basic functions and return her to an acceptable level of independence. At a minimum we want mom to be allowed to return to a quality of life to enjoy family, and most especially her cherished grandchildren.

Despite all her current challenges, and especially Kathy’s present inability to speak and communicate, she remains determined and hopeful. Her doctors continue to believe she can make significant progress with the right therapies and equipment. However, the costs to continue her required weekly therapies are staggering, and our family is struggling to cover the ones most important to her continued recovery. Further challenging our financial resources are her daily care costs required while dad is at work. While Medicare insurance is currently continuing to help us with her therapy treatments, it will cease to do so as of Nov. 6. Insurance will not cover her daily cost requirements by a licensed in-home stroke care specialist; thus, this required cost has been and will continue to be out-of-pocket for mom and dad.

Our dad, Jim, when not working, remains attached to mom’s side and has for each step of the way throughout her recovery. Before our in-home stroke care specialist arrives each morning and after she leaves each evening, dad is mom’s personal caretaker. Dad’s weekends are by mom’s side. Combined with handling all of mom’s personal care requirements, dad also works with mom to continue her physical, occupational, and speech therapies. Dad would have it no other way.

But the financial burden has become too much for our family to handle alone. Continued insurance coverage for recovering stroke victims is complicated and challenging. It eventually runs out, as it has with us, and the family is left to absorb both in-home care costs as well as the cost of continuing the critically required speech and physical therapies. With humble and appreciative hearts, it’s now time we reach out to our extended family and friends and ask for their financial help.

We’re asking for your donations through this GoFundMe campaign to give mom the continued care she requires. Your donations will go toward physical therapy, speech therapy, and the medical equipment she requires to regain her independence. Every dollar will make a difference.

We have a goal. Though Medicare will no longer be available to assist with the cost of therapy, we feel another year of the Shirley Ryan program will advance mom toward independence and eventually no longer require the cost associated with a daily in-home care specialist. We will make every effort to allow mom to stay in her current and familiar home and neighborhood environment where she has lived for over 30 years.

Thank you for your generosity, prayers, and love toward helping mom with her recovery journey.

With warmest regards and appreciation,

Natalie and Kyle