Let’s Support Andrea

In May 2023, Andrea sustained a traumatic brain injury while teaching in her Special Ed classroom. The result was a concussion, cognitive and memory challenges, physical and motor difficulties, and visual/auditory processing deficits.

Her summer was consumed with appointments and therapies to address and assess her situation. Andrea has not returned to her classroom fulltime since the incident occurred. In fact, attempts (on a very limited basis) at returning to spend time in the classroom with the students she loves and misses, have proven difficult and even detrimental to the healing process. She has been on workers’ comp and out from of the classroom since last spring, as prescribed by her medical team.

Andrea is a twice-nominated Minnesota Teacher of the Year nominee (and a finalist in 2022!). Her love and passion for educating children with severe special needs is evident. The fierce advocacy and dedication she has shown in her career choice has unlocked the superhero within each student she has taught throughout the years.

After a recent visit to the neurologist, it has been determined that Andrea cannot return to her beloved classroom to teach. Since she has sustained several concussions over the years, it simply isn’t safe for her to work in an environment with the potential of further brain injury.

Her district’s solution to this was to move Andrea to a different building with unfamiliar staff to write other teacher’s paperwork and make photo copies for building leadership; whereas her neurologist suggested Andrea to return to a familiar building to write lesson plans and prepare activities for her students for other staff to implement where she could have a safe path to healing and collaborate with her teaching team.

Andrea’s future is uncertain for now, particularly when assessing what her career path will look like. She will most definitely find a place to land that is safe and will give her an opportunity to share her gifts with the world.

But until then, finances of day-to-day life, traveling to medical appointments, the out-of-pocket medical costs not covered by insurance, and raising a toddler will become more challenging. Can you help support Andrea and her family as they navigate finding new normal and determine what that looks like?

We’d like to extend a huge thank you to the village that has helped in this journey so far! Whether you’ve helped with transportation, childcare, or offered a word of encouragement or a hug, it is all appreciated! Special shoutout to Reannon for her steadfast support, understanding and love. And to Wrenley…their tenacious, energetic three-year-old, that is the constant ray of sunshine that inspires Andrea to keep going!