Help Lorrie get life-altering aphasia treatment
Donation protected
My name is Samantha Babbitt, and I am organizing this fundraiser on behalf of my sister-in-law, Lorrie Roche.
In February of 2021, Lorrie suffered a brain hemorrhage at the age of 35, the result of a previously undiagnosed AVM (arteriovenous malformation). To read her story from the beginning, please visit her CaringBridge site:
https://www.caringbridge.org/visit/lorrieroche/journal
In the 14 months since, Lorrie has made many physical and cognitive gains. Despite the pain of her partial paralysis, Lorrie has built her function and stamina by pushing hard in her Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy appointments. She has also come a long way with her communication skills, going from almost no words to learning new words on a consistent basis.
While the arc of her recovery is encouraging to all of those who love her, it is nonetheless a slow process that is not without its setbacks and roadblocks. In particular, Lorrie has found herself increasingly frustrated that she knows what she wants to say but cannot communicate it effectively.
The damage to the language centers of Lorrie’s brain has caused expressive aphasia, which has created significant difficulty for her in understanding, processing and producing language in all its forms - speaking, reading and writing.
Lorrie has been referred to the intensive aphasia program at the Shirley Ryan Ability Lab in Chicago, the #1 rehabilitation hospital in the US for the last 30 years.
This program would provide Lorrie a unique, and frankly desperately needed, opportunity to improve her communication skills while also spending some time with her midwest friends and family, including her two nephews. We are hoping Lorrie will be accepted into the 4-week, intensive aphasia program that begins this August.
As with most things on the cutting edge of medicine, the program is both well-regarded and incredibly expensive - and does not take insurance. The total cost of the program is $20,916. You can read more details about the program if you are interested:
https://www.sralab.org/research/labs/aphasia/projects/intensive-comprehensive-aphasia-program#intensive
The program requires a $5,000 non-refundable deposit within 10 days of acceptance to the program, with the other installments coming in the weeks leading up to the start date. The application process begins in early May, and we should know if she has been accepted by early June.
**There are four sessions of the intensive aphasia program each year. So while we are hoping that summer 2022 works out, if she does not make it into the program this time, we will hold the money for a future session.
Our goal for this GoFundMe is $25,000 to cover the cost of the program and the expenses of Lorrie’s travel and time here. The program does not provide lodging so Lorrie will need accommodations and transportation to and from each day.
We wanted to wait until we knew how money to help Lorrie could best be spent before putting a GoFundMe together. We know times are hard for everyone and the last couple years have been A LOT.
Truly, any amount at all you can contribute would be greatly appreciated. If you are unable to contribute financially, please consider sharing this fundraiser so that someone who may be in a better place to donate right now might see it.
Thank you for your prayers, thoughts and kindnesses throughout the last year. They have made all the difference. We would also like to thank all those who have generously given money to help Lorrie already. Because of your donations, Vernie has been able to travel out to Portland to help take care of Lorrie numerous times. So many of you have shown us how much Lorrie means to you in numerous ways. It uplifts us all, especially Lorrie.
We are incredibly grateful that Lorrie is still here with us, and we want to do all we can to help her continue her recovery. The road is long, twisting and steep, but she has lots of determination and love in her corner.
With Gratitude,
Lorrie, Vernie, Palo, Tristan and Sam
In February of 2021, Lorrie suffered a brain hemorrhage at the age of 35, the result of a previously undiagnosed AVM (arteriovenous malformation). To read her story from the beginning, please visit her CaringBridge site:
https://www.caringbridge.org/visit/lorrieroche/journal
In the 14 months since, Lorrie has made many physical and cognitive gains. Despite the pain of her partial paralysis, Lorrie has built her function and stamina by pushing hard in her Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy appointments. She has also come a long way with her communication skills, going from almost no words to learning new words on a consistent basis.
While the arc of her recovery is encouraging to all of those who love her, it is nonetheless a slow process that is not without its setbacks and roadblocks. In particular, Lorrie has found herself increasingly frustrated that she knows what she wants to say but cannot communicate it effectively.
The damage to the language centers of Lorrie’s brain has caused expressive aphasia, which has created significant difficulty for her in understanding, processing and producing language in all its forms - speaking, reading and writing.
Lorrie has been referred to the intensive aphasia program at the Shirley Ryan Ability Lab in Chicago, the #1 rehabilitation hospital in the US for the last 30 years.
This program would provide Lorrie a unique, and frankly desperately needed, opportunity to improve her communication skills while also spending some time with her midwest friends and family, including her two nephews. We are hoping Lorrie will be accepted into the 4-week, intensive aphasia program that begins this August.
As with most things on the cutting edge of medicine, the program is both well-regarded and incredibly expensive - and does not take insurance. The total cost of the program is $20,916. You can read more details about the program if you are interested:
https://www.sralab.org/research/labs/aphasia/projects/intensive-comprehensive-aphasia-program#intensive
The program requires a $5,000 non-refundable deposit within 10 days of acceptance to the program, with the other installments coming in the weeks leading up to the start date. The application process begins in early May, and we should know if she has been accepted by early June.
**There are four sessions of the intensive aphasia program each year. So while we are hoping that summer 2022 works out, if she does not make it into the program this time, we will hold the money for a future session.
Our goal for this GoFundMe is $25,000 to cover the cost of the program and the expenses of Lorrie’s travel and time here. The program does not provide lodging so Lorrie will need accommodations and transportation to and from each day.
We wanted to wait until we knew how money to help Lorrie could best be spent before putting a GoFundMe together. We know times are hard for everyone and the last couple years have been A LOT.
Truly, any amount at all you can contribute would be greatly appreciated. If you are unable to contribute financially, please consider sharing this fundraiser so that someone who may be in a better place to donate right now might see it.
Thank you for your prayers, thoughts and kindnesses throughout the last year. They have made all the difference. We would also like to thank all those who have generously given money to help Lorrie already. Because of your donations, Vernie has been able to travel out to Portland to help take care of Lorrie numerous times. So many of you have shown us how much Lorrie means to you in numerous ways. It uplifts us all, especially Lorrie.
We are incredibly grateful that Lorrie is still here with us, and we want to do all we can to help her continue her recovery. The road is long, twisting and steep, but she has lots of determination and love in her corner.
With Gratitude,
Lorrie, Vernie, Palo, Tristan and Sam
Organizer
Samantha Babbitt
Organizer
Evanston, IL