Let's Give My SiS New Hope At Life
Donation protected
Hi my name is Lauren, I am doing this Gofundme for my sister Vanessa Cimato. I have been dreading this day for quite some time now but the day has come where we need help. So I have resorted to social media. I am going to share my sisters dreadfully long heartbreaking battle with you all. Please find it in your hearts to donate any amount that you can afford no amount is too small anything will help my sister with her journey and give her a chance at a new life. Thank you for reading this please prepare yourselves the following is extremely sad and may even cause you some tears.
First I would like to say that my sister is more than just a sister to me, she is my best friend, my heart and my hero. She was like a second mom to me growing up. I will be 36 this July and she is 42. I always looked up to her and i still do! Our bond is very special and unique. We can literally finish eachothers sentences and always know what the other one is thinking. She always made sure that I had money in my pocket and even bought me my first car. We never had one real fight and never ever went a day without talking to one another. We even lived together for several years right before she moved away.
She moved to Virginia Beach, Va about 15 years ago. We visisted back and forth and always talked on the phone almost daily. My sister is gay and her new life was in Virginia. She had a good job as a contractor in the day and managed a club/bar at nights on the weekends.
She was also engaged and had adopted a baby girl just 3 days old. They raised her together for about 4.5 years.
About 4 years ago my sister got very sick and wound up in the hospital with pneumonia. My sister has juvenile diabetes since about age 8 or 9. Once she was in the hospital they found out she had so many health problems. She had heart disease and also had a heart attack while there. She needed triple bypass surgery and had it performed, her kidneys were failing and she also needed dialysis and her sugar was through the roof as well as her potassium levels. Her health took a plunge and we almost lost her. I was pregnant at the time for my second child my daughter and told not to make the commute to see her being its a 7-8 hour drive down to Va. My sister wasnt doing well, she wasnt eating or even talking to anyone. I had to go and see my sister. Of course my pregnancy meant the world to me but so did my sister and i took a chance . When i got there and walked into that hospital room I swear her face lit up and she sat up and said " Lou Lou" she calls me that. She started eating and talking and doing better. Her vitals got better thankfully. We truly have something special and i believe she was waiting for me to come and i am so glad that i did! Even her nurses and Dr. were all so very surprised to see her full of life after i had gotten there. Maybe it was a coincedence and thats fine I am just blessed that she pulled through regardless of what the reason was. We were truly blessed that she made it through all of that. She followed her doctors orders and started dialysis treatments 3 times per week at a facility. She was doing very well she became eligible for home dialysis and had the surgery where they put an internal port in her stomach but she had to wait til it was completely healed to use it so she kept going to the facility for her treatments for the meantime. Her 4 year old daughter at the time would keep her company at dialysis. She would also make her sandwiches for lunch when my sister was too weak to move. For all who do not know dialysis treatment kicks your butt. It helps you but can make you feel very tired and drained and even sick and vomit which it did all of the above to my sister. Her and her daughter had a bond that was so special I have a daughter of my own who is 3 and I never saw a bond like theirs. It was so beautiful, so pure and so real.
My sisters port on her stomach healed and she started her home dialysis. She was also added to the donor lists for a new pancreas and I was going to donate one of my kidneys to her. Being I was going to do so it bumped her up to the top of the donor list for a new pancreas. Everything was finally looking up and falling into place, so we thought!
Her and her Fiance had been fighting alot. Things started to get bad between them and it was mutual meaning they were both at blame in my opinion. One day my sister came home from work to find her fiance gone as well as their daughter and all of their belongings. My sister was devistatated and extremely heartbroken and literally gave up on life. She had stopped doing her home dialysis for about 6 months. My parents and I had no clue. Us living in Brooklyn, Ny and her living in Virginia Beach, VA we didnt see her on a daily basis so we just knew she was very sad and depressed and missed her daughter so very much and still does. We tried so hard to make her come back home but she was afraid that if she did and they came back she wouldnt be there so she waited and prayed. We also tried to have her see and speak to her daughter many times I want you's to know this. She still til this this day almost 3 years have gone by has not seen or spoken to her. She does know she is safe and what state she is living in.
To try and shorten this as much as possible, my sister had gotten very sick due to stopping her treatments for so long. But could you blame her? She lost the one true love in her life. The one little girl that was by her side through her whole sickness and even sat with her during her dialysis treatments and held her hand. Made her sandwiches and laid in bed on the days my sister couldn't get out of bed and played her ipad. She was a baby but a real special and smart beautiful little girl that we all will NEVER forget!
Since this has happened my sister has lost alot. Besides losing her fiance and her daughter she has almost lost her life several times! She has been hospitalized so many times i have literally lost count for infection after infection. I have never been so heartbroken in my whole life. I am so sad for all of the emotional as well as physical pain my sister has been through and is currently in.
Vanessa is currently in the hospital recovering from multiple amputations. This is not her first set of amputations. She already had all her toes removed from her right foot only. She has had stents put into both legs and arms due to poor to very little circulation. She was living in a rehabilitation center so she could learn how to walk again and that rehab did nothing but make my sister worse! They left her in a wheelchair for a week straight. Didn't put her on the toilet or in her bed to sleep at night. The end result was a severe spinal infection which caused her temporary parilyzation from her boobs down to her feet. She still does NOT have complete feeling back and they are not sure if she ever will! She lives in severe pain everyday and is so far away from me her sister and her family. We want to bring her home back to NY, but we need to rent an ambulence because she is too weak for the drive and will not be released from the hospital under any other circumstances. The cost is between $5,000-$8,000 for the commute. We need help. Once we get her here she will be brought to Methodist hospital in downtown Brooklyn, where she will get the right care and the absolute best care possible. I have no doubt in my mind that once she is here things will turn up for my sister. Her Dr. said she can possibly walk again but she has to fight for it and I believe here with all of her family surrounding her she will do just that. Unfortunately in VA, right now she is fighting for her life.
She will be coming here without her medical insurance, without rx coverage, without her SS checks because they have been frozen due to no current address which we are working on changing, she needs a special shoe with a weight in the front for her right foot made, she needs to eat a special diet as well as some medical bills and then just some pocket money because in reality everyone needs a few dollars. There are other expenses that I am leaving out beacause I am really tring to be as short as possbile even though this i fairly long this is my sisters life on the line. So believe me we can really use the help. I have been sending her care pakages with all the money I have made with my 2 small businesses as well as selling stuff online every other week or so. But now unfortunately my care packages aren't enough. I have helped so many people, organizations, families, friends and just well anyone who ever reached out I am the first to help and I still am even in my current situation. I am helping a family in need who recently lost everything in a terrible recent fire in Sheepshead Bay. That is just the type of person that I am. I can only wish that whoever reads this can find it in there hearts to help my sister. My sister needs to be with her family. Please help her on her journey and give her a new chance at life. I do have faith and I do believe in God and in miracles and we really need one now. She is a warrior and my hero. Please consider donating any amount and PLEASE SHARE THIS PAGE PUBLICLY FOR ALL TO SEE! Every dollar is a step closer for my sister to have a better life and to be with her family again.
She is everything to me, please help me get her back!
Thank you so much for taking the time to read this!
Love to you all,
Lauren
First I would like to say that my sister is more than just a sister to me, she is my best friend, my heart and my hero. She was like a second mom to me growing up. I will be 36 this July and she is 42. I always looked up to her and i still do! Our bond is very special and unique. We can literally finish eachothers sentences and always know what the other one is thinking. She always made sure that I had money in my pocket and even bought me my first car. We never had one real fight and never ever went a day without talking to one another. We even lived together for several years right before she moved away.
She moved to Virginia Beach, Va about 15 years ago. We visisted back and forth and always talked on the phone almost daily. My sister is gay and her new life was in Virginia. She had a good job as a contractor in the day and managed a club/bar at nights on the weekends.
She was also engaged and had adopted a baby girl just 3 days old. They raised her together for about 4.5 years.
About 4 years ago my sister got very sick and wound up in the hospital with pneumonia. My sister has juvenile diabetes since about age 8 or 9. Once she was in the hospital they found out she had so many health problems. She had heart disease and also had a heart attack while there. She needed triple bypass surgery and had it performed, her kidneys were failing and she also needed dialysis and her sugar was through the roof as well as her potassium levels. Her health took a plunge and we almost lost her. I was pregnant at the time for my second child my daughter and told not to make the commute to see her being its a 7-8 hour drive down to Va. My sister wasnt doing well, she wasnt eating or even talking to anyone. I had to go and see my sister. Of course my pregnancy meant the world to me but so did my sister and i took a chance . When i got there and walked into that hospital room I swear her face lit up and she sat up and said " Lou Lou" she calls me that. She started eating and talking and doing better. Her vitals got better thankfully. We truly have something special and i believe she was waiting for me to come and i am so glad that i did! Even her nurses and Dr. were all so very surprised to see her full of life after i had gotten there. Maybe it was a coincedence and thats fine I am just blessed that she pulled through regardless of what the reason was. We were truly blessed that she made it through all of that. She followed her doctors orders and started dialysis treatments 3 times per week at a facility. She was doing very well she became eligible for home dialysis and had the surgery where they put an internal port in her stomach but she had to wait til it was completely healed to use it so she kept going to the facility for her treatments for the meantime. Her 4 year old daughter at the time would keep her company at dialysis. She would also make her sandwiches for lunch when my sister was too weak to move. For all who do not know dialysis treatment kicks your butt. It helps you but can make you feel very tired and drained and even sick and vomit which it did all of the above to my sister. Her and her daughter had a bond that was so special I have a daughter of my own who is 3 and I never saw a bond like theirs. It was so beautiful, so pure and so real.
My sisters port on her stomach healed and she started her home dialysis. She was also added to the donor lists for a new pancreas and I was going to donate one of my kidneys to her. Being I was going to do so it bumped her up to the top of the donor list for a new pancreas. Everything was finally looking up and falling into place, so we thought!
Her and her Fiance had been fighting alot. Things started to get bad between them and it was mutual meaning they were both at blame in my opinion. One day my sister came home from work to find her fiance gone as well as their daughter and all of their belongings. My sister was devistatated and extremely heartbroken and literally gave up on life. She had stopped doing her home dialysis for about 6 months. My parents and I had no clue. Us living in Brooklyn, Ny and her living in Virginia Beach, VA we didnt see her on a daily basis so we just knew she was very sad and depressed and missed her daughter so very much and still does. We tried so hard to make her come back home but she was afraid that if she did and they came back she wouldnt be there so she waited and prayed. We also tried to have her see and speak to her daughter many times I want you's to know this. She still til this this day almost 3 years have gone by has not seen or spoken to her. She does know she is safe and what state she is living in.
To try and shorten this as much as possible, my sister had gotten very sick due to stopping her treatments for so long. But could you blame her? She lost the one true love in her life. The one little girl that was by her side through her whole sickness and even sat with her during her dialysis treatments and held her hand. Made her sandwiches and laid in bed on the days my sister couldn't get out of bed and played her ipad. She was a baby but a real special and smart beautiful little girl that we all will NEVER forget!
Since this has happened my sister has lost alot. Besides losing her fiance and her daughter she has almost lost her life several times! She has been hospitalized so many times i have literally lost count for infection after infection. I have never been so heartbroken in my whole life. I am so sad for all of the emotional as well as physical pain my sister has been through and is currently in.
Vanessa is currently in the hospital recovering from multiple amputations. This is not her first set of amputations. She already had all her toes removed from her right foot only. She has had stents put into both legs and arms due to poor to very little circulation. She was living in a rehabilitation center so she could learn how to walk again and that rehab did nothing but make my sister worse! They left her in a wheelchair for a week straight. Didn't put her on the toilet or in her bed to sleep at night. The end result was a severe spinal infection which caused her temporary parilyzation from her boobs down to her feet. She still does NOT have complete feeling back and they are not sure if she ever will! She lives in severe pain everyday and is so far away from me her sister and her family. We want to bring her home back to NY, but we need to rent an ambulence because she is too weak for the drive and will not be released from the hospital under any other circumstances. The cost is between $5,000-$8,000 for the commute. We need help. Once we get her here she will be brought to Methodist hospital in downtown Brooklyn, where she will get the right care and the absolute best care possible. I have no doubt in my mind that once she is here things will turn up for my sister. Her Dr. said she can possibly walk again but she has to fight for it and I believe here with all of her family surrounding her she will do just that. Unfortunately in VA, right now she is fighting for her life.
She will be coming here without her medical insurance, without rx coverage, without her SS checks because they have been frozen due to no current address which we are working on changing, she needs a special shoe with a weight in the front for her right foot made, she needs to eat a special diet as well as some medical bills and then just some pocket money because in reality everyone needs a few dollars. There are other expenses that I am leaving out beacause I am really tring to be as short as possbile even though this i fairly long this is my sisters life on the line. So believe me we can really use the help. I have been sending her care pakages with all the money I have made with my 2 small businesses as well as selling stuff online every other week or so. But now unfortunately my care packages aren't enough. I have helped so many people, organizations, families, friends and just well anyone who ever reached out I am the first to help and I still am even in my current situation. I am helping a family in need who recently lost everything in a terrible recent fire in Sheepshead Bay. That is just the type of person that I am. I can only wish that whoever reads this can find it in there hearts to help my sister. My sister needs to be with her family. Please help her on her journey and give her a new chance at life. I do have faith and I do believe in God and in miracles and we really need one now. She is a warrior and my hero. Please consider donating any amount and PLEASE SHARE THIS PAGE PUBLICLY FOR ALL TO SEE! Every dollar is a step closer for my sister to have a better life and to be with her family again.
She is everything to me, please help me get her back!
Thank you so much for taking the time to read this!
Love to you all,
Lauren
Organizer
Lauren Raffaele Intravaia
Organizer
Brooklyn, NY