Helping Dallis Rebuild

Dallis suffered a significant brain bleed due to spontaneous preeclampsia, underwent an emergency craniectomy, and was under heavy sedation in the neuro ICU from Dec 29 to Jan 12. She was then moved to another hospital floor to continue to stabilize, then to a Skilled Nursing Facility to build up stamina, back to the hospital for inpatient rehab to rebuild motor function, and came home near the end of March. On May 16, she will get a VP shunt implanted on her cranium to drain excess cerebral fluid, followed by a cranioplasty soon thereafter which will reattach the removed bone flap (likely a total of 10 days in the hospital this time).

At this point, Dallis is a hemiplegic, learning to navigate without the use of her left side. The therapists and doctors continue to stimulate her left, and it's unclear what or when she'll get function back on that side. Soon we’ll get the bone flap replaced on her cranium, which can also have a meaningful influence on regaining functionality. Cognitively, she's sharp and funny, has a great drive, stays positive, and finds moments of joy throughout this difficult chapter.

As we navigate what comes next, we'll need to remodel some of our home, buy medical equipment, hire caregivers, and generally rebuild a lot of our life in the months and years to come. Unfortunately, this is all out-of-pocket. Many of you have been so kind, giving meals, gifts, cards, and your time. This GoFundMe is a way to further channel that support into what this next chapter needs. On a positive note, Dallis is making great progress, which brings tears of joy every day, and it's hard to figure out needs once home. We thought of doing a registry, but the uncertainty of needs pushed us towards a general support fund avenue. Anything collected will be put towards the above-mentioned needs and, once stabilized, any excess will go towards medical-based charities as a thank-you to those hands that saved Dallis' life.

Thank you for being such a wonderful community of love and support. Things are fairly uncertain right now, and it means so much to be held in this way.

For additional updates, connect with me directly for the "Dal-Updates" tab of the support coordinator. 

A brief disclaimer: my name is James Nagel, Dallis' husband, and I'm managing her fundraiser. She is a co-organizer on this account and can edit as needed. Your generous gifts transfer to her bank account, and we are forever grateful.