UPDATE: End of life support (April 18, 2026)

Caitlyn here sharing an update on Mitali:

Another year has passed, and Mitali’s health has continued to deteriorate due to Hypertrophic Olivary Degeneration caused by her stroke. Despite great efforts to keep up with therapies and pursue treatments to improve her situation (there is no cure), Mitali’s speech, vision, mobility, and energy has been on a steady decline, and she is approaching her last days on this plane.

Mitali said to me recently, “I’m like the little engine that could: I try and I try and I try. Some days I make it, some days I don’t. But I want people to know that I really tried my best.”

Mitali has been admitted to hospice and we anticipate her transition this spring. Mitali has shared that she is spiritually and emotionally ready for this transition.

The support and love from Mitali’s community has carried her through to this moment. As she approaches the end of her life, we are raising funds (another $18k*) for end-of-life expenses. These encompass last months of rent, a death doula, legal fees, other death-related costs including cremation and an end-of-life celebration, and support for folks continuing to steward the art and critters dear to her, including veterinary costs for her 21-year-old cat, Marcel.

We are in need of your financial support one last time to support Mitali in this sacred transition. Mitali is so grateful for all of you who ensured she could stay in the comfort of her home while she has navigated this decline.

Mitali encourages everyone to share this message to ensure her broader community receives this update.

At this time, Mitali is not accepting visits because they exacerbate her symptoms, particularly her tremors – If you would like to contact Mitali, please send an email to [mitti routh (at) g mail (dot) com] and we will read aloud your message to her. We will do our best to transcribe Mitali’s reply. Mitali asks, while she knows it is hard, to please accept this situation and please minimize giving medical or therapeutic advice.

With our deepest gratitude,

Caitlyn, with Mitali

*Note: The GoFundMe goal was increased again on 5/2 because end of life expenses are turning out to be more than what we initially projected. Thank you everyone for your support.

Original Post --

This is Mitali’s story, as shared by her and her loved ones:

I suffered a hemorrhagic stroke on July 17, 2023.

I woke up from an after-work nap and immediately knew something was wrong. My vision was doubled, I couldn’t feel the left side of my body, and my sense of balance was fading away, to the point where I eventually fell and couldn’t get up. I rode in an ambulance to Duke Hospital, where I would spend the next nine days. They moved me from the emergency room to the neuro ICU, and several days later to the neuro step-down unit. From there I was transferred to the inpatient rehabilitation facility, where I began to re-learn how to walk, how to speak, and how to complete the basic tasks of daily living that many of us take for granted. The brainstem lesion that caused my stroke is too small to appear on diagnostic imaging, but doctors presume it to be a type of deformed blood vessel called a cavernoma. Within the first few hours of my stroke, I went from being a fully functioning autonomous adult to being dependent on my loved ones for absolutely everything.

I have been unemployed since my stroke; my personal resources are now totally exhausted. I'm still waiting on SNAP and due to the nature of the disability system, I do not know if or when I will qualify for disability benefits. In the meantime, I am requesting your assistance to help cover food/daily needs, medical expenses, rent, and care for my cat Marcel. In February, I will undergo facial reanimation surgery to reduce my facial paralysis and help with my speech. I will incur significant expenses from this surgery. This will be the first of several anticipated procedures targeting my ongoing stroke symptoms. Additionally, I will need in-home assistance to remain independent during my stroke recovery. Thank you so much for the outpouring of love and support, it means the world to me. My heart truly needs the lift that you all are giving me.

Over six months into this new reality, my recovery has been slow and hard-fought. I’m still learning to walk safely with a walker, and I largely rely on my wheelchair. I can scarcely write or type. My speech is still slurred, and talking is exhausting. My vision is still very impaired. There remains hope for a good recovery, according to my doctors, but the road back to my former self will be long and hard. Despite all of my current deficits, I am still the person you knew before my stroke. I need your financial, emotional, and material support to continue my recovery.