Help Hope Heal: From ICU to 2nd Chance at Life

On April 4th, our lives changed forever.

My mom, Hope— went in for what was supposed to be a routine double needle thyroid biopsy turned into a nightmare that nearly cost my mom her life.

Shortly after the procedure, a massive hematoma developed in her neck about the size of a football, blocking her airway. Alone and struggling to breathe, she somehow mustered the strength to drive herself 40 minutes to the ER. By the time she arrived, it was “all hands on deck.” (Rapid Response Team)

There was so much fluid in her lungs there was no room left for her heart to beat. Her heart stopped 4-5 times. They called Code blue 4 times. She had to undergo intense 5 rounds of CPR, emergency intubation through her neck, chest tubes in both lungs and she needed a helicopter transfer to another hospital for life-saving care because there was active bleeding still in her neck.

Hope was placed on a ventilator, with a trachea and deeply sedated. She had fractured ribs and a small hemorrhage in her brain from the cardiac arrests. She was unable to speak, eat, or move — and we didn’t know if she would ever wake up or have any brain damage.

But Hope is a fighter.

Miraculously, she began to open her eyes. She slowly started responding to our voices. She was moved out of the ICU into the PCU where she has been for the last month. She is now learning to breathe, speak, swallow, and walk again. She’s had multiple complications along the way but every day, she continues to defy the odds.

This week is her birthday, and her biggest wish is to have her trachea removed so she can speak again — not just with words, but with her testimony of survival and God’s faithfulness.

Hope has now been in the hospital for a month. She’s unable to work, and recovery will be long before she can get back to her regular work schedule. Between hospital bills, respiratory therapy, physical rehab, medications, basic living expenses and the need for home health care, the financial weight is overwhelming.

We are humbly asking for your help to support her road to healing.

If you can give, we are beyond grateful.

If you can share this story, you’re helping breathe life into her journey.

If you can pray, we believe in the power of every single one.

Hope is here. Hope is healing.

Now we ask for help to carry her the rest of the way home.

Thank you for standing with us during the most difficult season of our lives.

Your love, kindness, and generosity mean more than we can express.

With all our hearts, thank you.

With Love,

Heather (Her daughter)