Friends, family, and kind-hearted strangers,

I am devastatingly reaching out on behalf of my big sister, Melanie, who recently suffered a severe stroke at 46 years young. On the morning of October 25th, Gabby, Melanie's daughter, found her unresponsive on the bedroom floor. Her two young sons, Micah (12) and Malachi (13), said she was suffering a severe headache when they saw her early that morning before leaving for school. We estimate that she was unconscious for several hours before Gabby called 911, and she was rushed to the emergency room. An emergency stroke thrombectomy was performed to remove clotting, and two stents were placed in the arteries in her neck. She has been in the neuro ICU since 10/25/24.

Her MRI & CT scans show damage to the left side of her brain. This sudden tragedy has left her immobile on the right side and unable to communicate, drastically changing her life—and her children's and family's—overnight. She is suffering from expressive aphasia, a disorder that inhibits her ability to express language, caused by damage to the parts of the brain that control language. She is facing an incredibly challenging journey toward recovery in rehab for physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech therapy, followed by in-home care that is essential for her healing and well-being.

As you can imagine, the cost of her medical expenses is overwhelming in addition to maintaining the home for her children while she is unable to return to work as a dedicated and well-loved ER nurse. In May this year, Melanie lost the love of her life, Rodney, to cancer. While we’re doing everything we can as a family, we need additional support to give her the best possible chance of recovery. Every donation, no matter how small, will go directly toward her medical bills, therapy sessions, specialized equipment, and other critical needs at home.

If you’re unable to donate, we ask that you please keep her in your thoughts and prayers, and share this message with others.

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for any help you can offer to bring Melanie, a mother, grandmother, dog-mom, sissy, aunt, friend, and nurse, closer to the life she once knew.

Follow for updates on Melanie’s recovery journey. ❤️