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

I suffered a hemorrhagic stroke on July 17th.

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.