Expenses for seminary

My name is Hannah Purkey. I was diagnosed with carotid artery vasospasms when I was 13 years old. There is no cure, and since then I have had 3 strokes. My most recent stroke, on February 14 of 2022, was the most serious. Both of my internal carotid arteries are occluded (meaning there is no blood flowing in them, and they are the main arteries to the brain.) It's by the grace of God that I am alive and healing. I was at Johns Hopkins Hospital for 12 days, much of that in the ICU. I then went to the Mayo Clinic for inpatient rehab for three weeks. This interrupted the start of my seminary internship.

For the past year, I moved back to my parent's place for rehab, including intensive rehab through Craig Hospital. I continue to do rehab both in person and online with several therapists. This stroke caused Apraxia (the loss of ability to execute or carry out skilled movements and gestures, despite having the physical ability and desire to perform them), as well as Aphasia, (speaking, understanding speech, or reading or writing as a result of damage to the part of the brain that is responsible for language processing or understanding). I also have a brace that helps me to walk without hyperextending my right knee. I hope to work towards driving again in the future.

Despite these challenges, I am determined to finish seminary and become a pastor. I'm planning to go back to Wartburg Seminary this August. Thankfully I have a scholarship that covers tuition, but my expenses include books, food, medication, insurance, and other school-related fees. I am asking for help from my wider community because I do not have any savings remaining, as they were spent covering medical and rehab costs. I am also unable to take out more student loans, as that would void the pending disability discharge on my current student loans. I continue to look for scholarships to help cover these expenses as well. Thank you in advance for your support!

If you like to read more about Aphasia and Apraxia: https://www.ninds.nih.gov/health-information/disorders/aphasia?search-term=Aphasia

https://www.ninds.nih.gov/health-information/disorders/apraxia?search-term=Apraxia