Support Kate’s Journey to Recovery

On Sunday, November 17, Kate suffered a major hemorrhagic stroke. She was at home when she suddenly started feeling dizziness and a sharp pain in her head. She called Paul, who rushed home from fishing with Wolfe and quickly called 911. An ambulance brought her to Mount Sinai South Nassau Hospital, where doctors performed an emergency craniectomy. The initial prognosis was not good, and we were preparing for the worst while hoping for the best. Kate stabilized temporarily but the neurosurgeons had to operate a second time, and the team at South Nassau recommended transferring Kate to the Neurosciences Intensive Care Unit (NSICU) at Mount Sinai West Hospital in Manhattan, where she could receive more specialized care. After a stressful trip to Manhattan in the back of an ambulance, Kate has been taken care of by an amazing team of neurosurgeons, neurologists, physicians, physician assistants, and NSICU nurses. She has stabilized, there are plans to remove her breathing tube, and the doctors have finally begun talking about recovery.

We all know Kate is strong. When she was battling cancer seven years ago and going through an aggressive treatment of chemo and radiation, she never lost her drive and amazing sense of humor. Through it all, she remained the creative, loving, and supportive mom, aunt, and friend we know and love. We have no doubt she’ll approach her recovery to this very unexpected event in the same way.

While everyone is thrilled that Kate is making progress, Kate, Paul, and their three boys, Tai (17), Finn (15), and Wolfe (10) have a long, complicated, and likely financially challenging road ahead. Kate will probably need to stay in the hospital and rehab for weeks, and she’ll have months of therapies after that. This fundraiser is an attempt to defray some of the costs associated with Kate’s treatment and recovery in the hope that the Scanio family can spend all their time focusing on Kate’s recovery rather than worrying about anything else. Any contribution will be greatly appreciated. The immediate and ongoing outpouring of love and support have been amazing and will always be remembered. From all those who love Kate, Paul, Tai, Finn, and Wolfe, and from the entire Perri and Scanio families, thank you.