Caitlin is an amazing mother and certified nursing assistant that gives her all to her kids and her patients. She is deeply caring and works extremely hard. The Sunshine Award recognizes non-licensed nursing support staff that provide extraordinary care and contributions. She has been nominated for the Sunshine Award 10 times and received it once. The Love Award is the highest level of recognition and is given to healthcare workers that exemplify values of compassion, trust, respect, teamwork, and innovation through contributions that improve experiences for patients, families, and their colleagues. Caitlin has been nominated for this award 5 times and received the award once. Caitlin is an extremely selfless, loving, and supportive single mother to 4. She works overtime often to be able to provide them with whatever they need. She is not one to ask for help, so I have set up this GoFundMe on her behalf.

Unfortunately, Caitlin is facing some serious health challenges that have left her and her family with extremely tight finances. Caitlin will be undergoing her 10th brain surgery on April 13, 2026. She has been in quite a bit of pain and has been unable to work much. She will be unable to work until June 1st which will further stretch her finances. We are raising funds to help ease the financial stress that Caitlin and her family are facing. This will hopefully support Caitlin’s healing so that she can get back to doing what she loves.

In 2023, Caitlin went in for a routine sinus surgery that changed her life. Unfortunately, she had some complications with the surgery which caused a cerebrospinal fluid leak and ultimately meningitis. She developed scarring that left her with a permanent inability to absorb cerebrospinal fluid herself. She received weekly spinal taps to drain off the excess fluid buildup in her brain and ultimately had a ventriculoperitoneal shunt placed in September 2023. Only 24 hours later after this procedure she had to undergo another surgery as the shunt catheter had moved from its original location and hit her brain causing sclerosis. For the next several months, she had to travel two and a half hours to Rochester at least once a week, but sometimes twice a week, to get revisions done on her ventriculoperitoneal shunt. In 2024, she had a procedure to place a lumbar–peritoneal shunt. During this time, she had both a ventriculoperitoneal and lumbar–peritoneal shunt which caused her to overdrain the fluid surrounding her brain. She had to be rushed to Strong Memorial Hospital, where she underwent yet another surgery to change out the valve in the shunt as it had broken. Most recently in October 2025, Caitlin was hospitalized because she had difficulty breathing and was extremely weak. She was diagnosed with a very aggressive infection in her ventriculoperitoneal track which required a procedure to remove both the VP and LP shuts. During this procedure they also placed an external ventricular drain which helped drain the fluid but was not a permanent solution.

Over the next few months, her intracranial pressure began to build and she had to have it drained several times, underwent multiple CTs, and had multiple doctors visits. Caitlin now has swelling and scarring on her optical nerve from hydrocephalus on her brain. She has gone to Rochester and to several other doctors to get multiple second opinions. Her doctors determined that she needs another shunt placed.

She has already missed many days of work and will miss many more. She will be forced to be on FMLA short-term disability, which provides very little income for her family of 5. She is raising her four children alone and just recently had to move her family from the home they lived in for 10 years and it was sold by the owner suddenly. She used every penny that she had in order to keep her children in the same school district. She is scheduled for her 10th brain surgery on April 13th. She is expected to be out of work for 3 to 4 months and her bills are already piling up.

Please consider helping to support Caitlin through this difficult time. She cares so deeply for her patients and children, and now she needs her community to come together to care for and support her and her family. Any amount would be greatly appreciated and would make a difference for her. If you are unable to donate, please share this with other people you know.