Help for my sister Mae

Hi! My name is Stephanie Farrell, and I am starting this GoFundMe for my sister Mae Joyce Rhoten.

Mae and her husband of 21 years, Dr. Patrick Rhoten, and their three children, were in LA for Father's Day weekend. Patrick crashed on an electric scooter as he headed back from the US Open golf tournament at LA Country Club. He was rushed to UCLA medical center and had emergency surgery to remove part of his skull to relieve swelling on his brain. In addition to the traumatic brain injury (TBI), he suffered an injury to his left eye and a fractured pelvis. He spent 8 weeks in the UCLA Intensive Care Unit and then was moved to California Rehabilitation Institute where he worked hard to learn how to walk and talk and eat. He received incredible care but still can't do these tasks. All this time, Mae was traveling back and forth from LA to San Diego, where she lived with her three children, Jack (20), Finn (17) and Grace (17.) Their daughter, Allie (30) lives in Ohio.

Patrick was released from CRI on December 23rd and moved closer to his family in San Diego. The move was difficult for him but he was stable until he picked up MRSA - an infection that caused a high fever and brain seizures and forced his doctors to put him into a medically-induced coma. Now, 7 months after his accident, he is back in ICU, has had surgery to put a shunt in his brain to reduce the fluid on his brain, but is still unresponsive.

In one split second, Mae and Patrick's life has changed forever. Patrick has lost his ability to work and Mae is trying her best to manage Patrick's care, her career and the children's needs. It's hard for me to think about what their future looks like. Jack has come home from college; the twins are juniors in high school. They are missing their dad and scared. Allie is also struggling. Patrick, who has been working so hard to recover, is now right back where he was 7 months ago. This setback has been devastating.

UPDATE: AUGUST 14, 2024:

After a month of waiting, Patrick was able to come out of the coma with no seizures. He spent 2 months in the ICU and then was transferred to a long-term hospital/nursing facility. He still had the ventilator for his tracheotomy and a feeding tube. He remained there with very little improvement until July 22nd. He returned to the rehab facility in San Diego and has been slowly improving and participating in multiple therapies. He remains on a feeding tube. The hope is for him to become stronger and transfer to a facility with great success in transitioning patients home. Finn and Grace have started their senior year and Jack will go back to Irvine for his junior year.

The money we raise from this Go Fund Me will assist Mae in covering Patrick's astronomical medical bills which we all know is covered only in part by insurance, and for the continued care that Patrick will undoubtedly need for the foreseeable future.

Please consider donating. Any amount is appreciated.

Thank you!