For the love of Mailena

On September 30th, my sister suffered from a severe asthma attack that took her into respiratory and cardiac arrest. As she was rushed to the hospital paramedics managed to resuscitate her but she went into cardiac arrest again. Through the night they treated her asthma and put her on a ventilator to support her breathing. After being sedated and observed for two days her MRI scans showed severe brain damage caused by losing too much oxygen to her brain. Since then she has been in a coma and under more observation. After multiple meetings with Mount Sinai’s neurology team, consulting other neurologists for their opinions, and spending 14 days in the medical intensive care unit there still are no signs of her making a full recovery. We’re told that her condition will never progress past a persistent vegetative state. As of October 14th, she has been placed in palliative care as we consider what would be the best decision for her.

My sister is a 27 years old mother of two wonderful boys. A bright spirit whose kindness and compassion has gleamed light into many lives. To tell the truth, we are all lost without her. She personified happiness and would never leave you depressed. It feels like just yesterday we were talking about all of our plans. Seeing her passion and drive peak when she talked about becoming a teacher brought me real joy. Her love of children went beyond her own as she was pursuing a future in early childhood education. We love her deeply and It’s truly breaking my heart to see her like this.

All throughout this frightening diagnosis, my mother and I have been by her side. Our family is in the midst of a very tough battle and our lives have changed considerably. My mother has taken medical leave to be by her side and with us using all of our resources bills are looming. Never in a million years would I have seen this coming and it is with a heavy heart I am asking for support. Whether its prayers or donations. This will not only go for her but the care of her boys. We will continue to update this page to keep family and friend informed.