Let's Give Jazelle a Second Chance at Life!

Donations on other platforms:

Venmo: $300; @Cameryn-Okeke

CashApp 500; $CamerynOkeke

PayPal: $1000; @cokeke22

Dear friends, family, and compassionate strangers,

On Tuesday, July 25, our mom Jazelle suffered a catastrophic stroke. Our family rushed her to the hospital, where doctors performed a craniectomy (skull removal). 

They gave her a 20% chance of survival.  

Today, less than two months later, her recovery seems--at least to us--nothing short of a miracle. She's regained her speech, her ability to read,  (perhaps most importantly to me), her heart-warming laugh.

After weeks of physical therapy, she is starting to walk again.

**The Struggle:**

Our mom's resilience has always been awe-inspiring. But her road to recovery is far from over. For most of her life, our mom worked as a palliative care nurse. And now, she needs the chance to recover in comfort and peace, just as she helped her patients do for so many years. 

We are just a couple days away from closing on a house, and her son Aaron is planning to move in and help take care of her. But between medical care and a down payment on the house, we have exhausted our reserves both financially and energetically.

**The Need:**

As a result of the stroke, our mom needs more than just medical treatment; she needs a new accessible home designed to accommodate her mobility challenges. While overall more accessible, the house will still need carpets removed, ramps installed, bathrooms redesigned, and doorways widened to ensure her comfort and safety. 

Additionally, we will need to ensure she has reliable transportation to her appointments and cover the costs of moving her and getting her more accessible furniture (like an adjustable bed). 

Finally, she requires a dedicated long-term in-home health aide to assist her on this journey toward recovery and we want to make sure this person is compensated for this hard healing work. 

**Why Your Support Matters:**

Our mom's journey as a nurse may have come to an end, but our mom's passion for helping others lives on in us. Now, she needs our support to continue her own journey. Your contribution will directly impact her quality of life, providing her with the essential resources she needs to regain her independence, dignity, and happiness.

**How You Can Help:**

Every donation, no matter how big or small, will make a meaningful difference. Here are some ways you can contribute:

1. Monetary Donations: Your financial support will go towards housing costs (12.5K), renovations, moving, and accommodations (7K), and long-term support costs (11.5K).

2. Sharing the Campaign: Direct asks are powerful. Send to a coworker or share with a listserv. Just getting one other person to donate had an incredible impact!! 

3. Resources on Stroke recovery/Caregiving: This is new territory for all of us, so if you have experience taking care of someone with a stroke or if you have survived a stroke, please reach out to us @relationship_gardening. 

**Thank you to our Community:**

When we were young, our mom moved us from Southside Chicago to Peoria, promising to give us a better life. 

 She succeeded. 

 And now, we want more than anything to help her live out the rest of her life in the safety, comfort, and warmth she deserves. Our mom has been a caregiver her entire life--not only for us, but for countless patients whose names we will never know. 

She is the strongest person we know. And with your help, she will make it through this.  

Thank you, from the bottom of our hearts, for taking the time to read our mom's story.

With heartfelt gratitude,

Aryelle Cook-Smith, Cameryn Okeke, and Aaron Okeke