Aryelle’s journey through stroke recovery

If you know my twin sister Aryelle, you know her smile lights up every room—and her heart is just as big. She’s only 26 years old and has spent her professional years as a neuro physical therapist helping others through some of life’s hardest moments.

Now, she’s facing one of her own.

A few days ago, Aryelle ended up feeling severe dizziness and constant vomiting which lead to being rushed to the hospital by ambulance where she would undergo extensive testing and bloodwork to figure out what was going on. 3 days later after the doctors have exhausted all options and diagnosing Aryelle with vertigo, she knew something more serious was going on and demanded an mri of the brain where they would discover two strokes—a small one in her left cerebellum and a large one on the right side. As someone who understands the brain all too well, knowing exactly what’s happening has made this even more terrifying for her.

While running tests to figure out what caused the strokes, doctors found a patent foramen ovale (PFO)—a hole in her heart that shouldn’t be there. She remains in the ICU as her care team monitors for brain swelling, with the hope of moving her to a general floor once it’s safe. She will need surgery to fix the hole, as this is the main cause for a stroke in people her age.

My sister now faces an uncertain road ahead, including extensive medical bills, time away from work, and rehabilitation. She has dedicated her life to helping others regain their independence and strength, and now she needs our help doing the same.

If you know her, she hates to ask for help, but is always the first to give it and we want her to know there is an army behind her.

If you’re able to donate—whether it’s $5 or $50—it would mean the world to my sister… and to me.. if we could help HER this time as she will now be out of work for an extended period of time and still has to continue to juggle her bills on top of what this week long hospital stay is going to bring to her.. If you can’t, even sharing this helps more than you know. Let’s show Aryelle how much love and support she has behind her.

If anyone would like to Venmo her over using the gofundme her Venmo is @Aryelle-Barbagallo

Thank you for being here for her.