Colette’s Healing Fund After Stroke & Brain Aneurysm
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At just 21, my sister is recovering from a life-threatening stroke.
My name is Makai Michelle Ballo (maiden name, Demetillo), and I'm fundraising to help Colette recover without the added stress of school work, lost income, or additional medical needs.
Early on Easter morning, Sunday 4/20, one day before her 21st birthday, Colette (or Cece, as some may know her) suffered a ruptured brain aneurysm hemorrhaging into her brain and spinal cord, causing what's called a subarachnoid hemorrhage stroke (aSAH).
We were lucky that a neurosurgeon had already been called in during the early holiday morning to operate on a head trauma patient, allowing Colette's emergency procedure to be expedited.
She’s been in the Neuro ICU ever since under 24/7 care, fighting through severe pain, several procedures, and complications that no young person should ever have to endure. There are really good days (the sibling photo displayed above) and incredibly difficult days where we've witnessed Colette scream out in pain from spontaneous vasospasms. Cerebral vasospasms refer to the sudden narrowing of blood vessels, which is a serious complication that can reduce blood flow to the brain. The family has been rotating shifts to be with her, so that there is someone familiar with her for support and to speak on her behalf in case she's drowsy from meds or experiencing vasospasms.
Considering the high mortality rate of this type of stroke, we’re beyond grateful that Colette is still with us and showing incredible strength. However, the road to recovery could be long and uncertain.
Although her hospital stay is covered by insurance, there are several pressing challenges we're facing:
- College Tuition ($10,000): Colette is a student at St. Joseph’s University, working toward her degree in Child Study/Early Childhood Education. The university has advised her to take a medical leave of absence. This would mean that her scholarship will be applied to Fall 2025 but she will still be held responsible for Spring 2025 school loans, and she'll lose out on the thousands our mom already paid out-of-pocket for this semester. It would also erase all of the hard work Colette put in towards her 15 credits under her IEP. While Colette is still in the ICU recovering, our mom was advocating tirelessly for compassion and flexibility so that Colette wouldn't be under any academic pressure that could threaten her recovery. She’s sometimes unable to respond due to drowsiness or fatigue, procedures, and/or painful vasospasms that can come on without warning. My mom and I worked to get all of her LOA documentation together to be submitted in time before the end of the semester (5/6).
- Lost Income ($2,500): My sister has been working part-time in childcare and special needs care while going to school full-time. Between her current hospital stay (which could last around 21 days) and four earlier hospitalizations in April as she struggled to find medical answers before the aSAH, she’s missed significant work, and we don’t yet know how long her recovery will take. aSAH stroke survivors are often advised not to drive for up to three to six months, which means Colette may be out of work for some time. I'm estimating around $2,500 in lost wages. We want her to rest and recover without worrying about rushing back to work before she’s ready.
- Emergency Support Fund ($2,000): I'm also raising an additional $2,000 to help with unexpected medical expenses or future rehab/physical therapy, healthy meal plans to support healing, and accessibility or care needs at home that may arise in recovery.
Your support, whether through a donation or by sharing this page, would mean the world to me and our family. Anything helps. Truly.
Donations will be kept in a separate account for Colette, managed by our mom to ensure the funds are used appropriately. My goal is to remove as much stress as I can so my parents and Colette can focus entirely on healing and feel supported.
From the bottom of our hearts, thank you. ♥️
Organizer
Makai Ballo
Organizer
Wading River, NY