Help 14-year-old Sam Survive Hemorrhagic Stroke

UPDATE April 7, 2023

It has been 12 days since my niece, Erica Sam Garganera, was confined after suffering from a stroke at 14 years old.

Based on her CT scan on day 2, she had bleeding and a clot in her brain. She lost movement in her left side. She was also under sedation. Doctors couldn't locate the source of the bleeding and she wasn't stable. Enough to conduct more tests. On day 3, she was intubated. But we continue to lift up to God her progress because on day 5, she was extubated and allowed to take in solid food gradually. She was then removed from oxygen as she could breathe on her own.

Results from her MRI revealed that her stroke was caused by a malformation of blood vessels in the brain called CAVERNOMA.

No procedure has been done yet but she has improved tremendously since day 1. We could already talk to her and see her through our video calls. She is grateful to everyone for the prayers and the support.

She is out of the PICU but in a private room now. She can move her left hand already. She can wiggle her fingers and can already grip albeit loosely for now. She already feels some sensation on her left thigh. And she has some color back on her beautiful cheeks!

God has been giving us miracles daily through Sam. She will start rehab next week. Let us pray that He continues to bless her with these miracles until she is finally well and up and about. So she can be an example of God's grace and goodness especially to the young people.

The entire family is grateful for all your love and support. Today is Good Friday, we remember how God gave His only begotten Son to save us all from our sins. His grace is overflowing, His love is everlasting.

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Erica Sam Garganera is a bubbly and charming 8th grader from Iloilo City, Philippines. Like most Filipino teenagers, she is fond of making TikTok videos and is also a budding fashionista who would sometimes join ramp modelling stints for children's clothes in her city. She is both a Blink and an Army.

On March 25, 2023, she complained that she was having a really bad headache and was nauseous.

March 26, 2023, she was brought to the hospital because her headache had worsened. She was initially diagnosed with hemorrhagic stroke. The pain was clearly unbearable as she was writhing in the hospital bed crying.

Barely out of her teens, this daddy's girl is the youngest on record to suffer from hemorrhagic stroke in that hospital. Pedia said she had a blood clot and severe bleeding in her brain. Before the day ended, she had lost movement on the left side of her body. Based on her CT, her doctors said she was unstable, even her heart beat was erratic and that they could not tell where the bleeding was coming from. Surgery was out of the question then.

March 27, Monday, she underwent angio CT and was also intubated, under close monitoring for 72 hours. She needed further tests to be done once she was stable to determine the source of the bleeding and the blood clot. One doctor said opening her is tricky because she might bleed profusely and that 3 bags of blood needed to be on standby. At least 3. It also would not guarantee improvement in her condition.

March 30, on our 5th day in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, God has granted small victories. She has been extubated and is now responding to touch--even her left side! She could already whisper words really, really softly. The headache has remained and we imagine she might be feeling hot in the head as she was relieved when a bag of ice was placed on it.

She could gently but loosely grip our hands when we held her.

Her broken hearted parents are with her everyday, trying to be strong and keeping the faith in the Man Above and in humanity so that they could forge on.

Our Sam is fighting for her life. And we are praying that you would help us fight with her.

It is with heavy and humble hearts that we seek your help in the rising medical expenses for her ongoing treatment in Iloilo Mission Hospital. She is still not out of the woods yet but we are hopeful.

If you have spare and would like to share in our little girl's fight for survival, please donate to our GoFundMe account.

May you and your families be blessed a thousandfold for being a blessing to our family, especially for Sam.