Help for Maura during tragic & unexpected stroke

On Mother’s Day, my mother, Maura suffered a severe ischaemic stroke which has changed her life forever.

She and her sister, Pilar, live together in Vallejo alone. Pilar woke up to some strange sounds coming from the bathroom. Upon not getting a reply, she opened the door and found my mother on the bathroom floor, unable to move and unable to speak, my aunt quickly called 911, and fortunately, the ambulance arrived in a matter of minutes.

My mother was rushed to Sutter Solano. It was determined that she needed to go to a neurosurgeon/specialty hospital, so an emergency procedure could be performed that could help. Upon her arrival at California Pacific Medical Center in SF, it was determined that the stroke had run its course and that she was no longer a candidate for this emergency procedure.

These two weeks have been agony and misery, we are all dying to wake up from this horrific nightmare, but unfortunately, this is our reality.

My mother has been in ICU for 15 days. She was intubated from day one, and a tracheotomy was performed after about a week. She now has a peg tube to ensure she gets her nutrients. Unfortunately, she did not have enough strength to cough out her secretion. My mother has been diagnosed with Atrial fibrillation. A-fib is an irregular and often very rapid heart rhythm that can lead to blood clots in the heart, which can then be sent to other areas of the body, and in my mom's case, the clot was sent to her brain, causing a severe ischaemic stroke.

She has been under excellent care. Unfortunately, her edema was so severe that her neurologist considered a craniectomy. After careful consideration, we, her family, thought this would not be the best choice, nor what she would want, as the damage to her brain is irreversible. The craniectomy would only help reduce her swelling, which could also reduce on its own, but the procedure itself has many risks and could cause further damage.

My mother suffered severe brain damage to the left side of her brain. Although there is slow progresión, my mother will need a lot of support and specialists to get back on her feet. Those who know my mother know that she is a hard worker, a fantastic mother and sister, and a great individual. She’s a fighter, and we need all the help, prayers and thoughts we can get to help her get through this!

Thank you to all those who have reached out, sent her messages daily, visited her, and comforted us during this difficult time!