Several years ago, my older sister Hazel suffered a massive stroke. She had a brain bleed that took about 9 hours in surgery to save her, a procedure we were told a small percentage of people survive. But she did. For that, we are grateful.

However, the area in her brain that was damaged (the cerebellum) affected her ability to be mobile and take care of herself. Because of her extensive health care needs, I have dedicated my life to my sister's care full time at home. I have tried my best through these past nine years to do what's best for her and maintain the functions she tried to recover after her stroke, but unfortunately, Hazel has slowly declined physically and now we've come to the point where she needs a level of care I cannot provide. It's heartbreaking to know that without some type of intervention, her muscles and bones will continue to atrophy and she will completely lose what little movement she is capable of now, requiring even more care.

With all that in mind, you can imagine the hope we felt during a recent assessment with an innovative physical therapist, when they had Hazel standing, taking steps, and doing balancing exercises. However, to improve, it would require her to do this rehab consistently over a period of time. With this intense physical therapy, we believe she will regain her muscles, improve her mobility greatly, and increase her quality of life. She's still so young and capable, and I want so much to give her this chance.

Unfortunately, insurance does not cover this type of long-term rehab, so I am setting up a GoFundMe for Hazel to cover some of the costs. With your financial help, she will be working with therapists several days a week, for several hours, up to a year. Our goal is to have her walking with moderate assistance. This comes as a big feat because with a cerebellar stroke that affects balance and coordination, this might be considered very challenging. But we follow a big God, and we are stepping out in faith believing that He can do great things in Hazel's life. Hazel is willing to work hard and I plan to give regular updates on her progress.

Whatever you can give would be immensely appreciated!! If you feel compelled to further help, please share our story and the link below to help us with our cause. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts!