Help Linda Rehabilitate!
If you’re reading this, chances are you already know and love Linda. She is a wonderfully caring mom, wife, and grandmother; the kind of woman who even waitresses ask about, and who family and friends are constantly checking in with daily. She’s funny and witty, she’s obsessed with her grandsons, and just about obsessed with Sinatra. Don't even question her loyalty to the Yankees, for better or worse. She’s a Vegas girl, but her roots are still deeply embedded in Jersey. She also cranks out the best Christmas cookie spread west of the Mississippi.
For those of you who don’t know her, Linda is still all of those things above today, but things are a little different now. On May 5th, she suffered a large brain aneurysm, which left her in a coma for a week. Doctors really did not know if she would survive, or what the impact on her cognitive and physical abilities would be. Anyone who has witnessed a brain injury knows that recovery is, at best, an uncharted and long road. Those were dark, frightening days for all of us.
But, Linda pulled off a series of what we’ll call miracles: she came out of the coma, and after leaving the ICU, the hospital, and going to two rehabilitation centers, she is talking, she is using her hands and arms, and she’s beginning to use her legs. The best part of all is she still has that amazing personality and wit. She remembers every Sinatra song, lights up at the faces she loves, and throughout all of this she's been cared for so intensely and lovingly by her husband and family.
She’s home now (as of August 13th), because Medicare said she’s used the rehabilitation facilities to her maximum ability and isn’t progressing as much as they’d like her to. Linda’s husband is a full time electrician, and her daughter is a special education teacher with children of her own; her two primary caregivers are therefore out of the home for many hours a day, and as amazing as they are, they are not professionally trained aides or therapists. Linda’s family is paying out of pocket for home health aides to care for her while they work, as well as continued physical and occupational therapies. Medicare pays for three short sessions of physical therapy per week, which is not enough to keep her progressing; she had been receiving it three times per day at the rehabilitation facility.
Her potential is there: her progress over the last 3 months has been nothing short of astounding, and every day she continues to improve. Cost should not be the thing that prevents her and her family from living a more normal life. Medicare shouldn’t be allowed to dictate what progress looks like contrary to her physicians and support staff. Every dollar that is donated will go toward providing continued care for her so that she has an aide at home to care for her and the therapy that she needs to increase her independence. Her family is currently paying $1,200 per week for the home health aide, and $400 per week for physical therapy out of pocket. At this rate, continued care for the long term is not affordable. But, their motivation is warranted: last week, exactly one week since she was sent home, her therapists said she has the potential to walk independently again - that is something we ALL want to see!! She's even beginning to re-learn stairs. We need your help to keep her progressing and keep Linda's miracle in motion.
Thank you for reading Linda’s story, and many thanks to those of you who have called, prayed, helped with meals, and donated to Linda’s fund. Every action speaks volumes and we are so very grateful.
