Keeping Hope Alive For Amy
Donation protected
Requesting financial assistance for Amy and Brian Roulet (my nephew) and their two girls following the third medical crisis Amy has suffered in the last 3 years.
The past few years have presented a series of challenges to Brian and Amy and their two girls. It began in July, 2016, when Amy, at age 42, was diagnosed with stomach cancer. Following surgery where the tumors and two thirds of her stomach were removed, she began oral chemotherapy and the long road to recovery.
In the Fall of 2017, Amy began having severe headaches. She drove herself to the emergency room where they found she had suffered a ruptured brain aneurysm. She was rushed to Hennepin County Medical Center where she underwent immediate brain surgery. After 17 days in the SICU, Amy went home to begin yet another long road to recovery. Over the next year and a half, Amy continued to be monitored by doctors for both the stomach cancer and the aneurysm repair. This past Spring, doctors determined a minor surgery to finish repairing the aneurysm was needed and scheduled for July 1, 2019. This “simple” surgery turned into a nightmare of complications.
During the 5 hour surgery, surgeons discovered a second large aneurysm that they attempted to repair. Although Amy seemed to be recovering well immediately after surgery, within a half an hour she developed a headache, numbness in her fingers and her speech began to decline. A CT scan showed bleeding in yet a different part of her brain as well as significant swelling. She was placed in a medically induced coma and, eventually, a craniectomy was performed to help relieve pressure in the brain. Amy remained in the medically induced coma and on a ventilator for 3 weeks. The sedation medication was then discontinued and a tracheotomy was performed so she could safely be taken off the ventilator. She has a PEG(feeding tube) and the doctors are currently considering a shunt in her brain to help drain spinal fluid.
Currently, Amy is opening her eyes, can make eye contact and move her left arm and leg. To this point, she remains unable to communicate. Her recovery has been and will be slow and she will need months of hospitalization and rehabilitation. There is no way to know what the future holds or how long her recovery will be, but we continue to be optimistic and keep hope alive! Amy will soon be transferred to Regency Hospital in Golden Valley where they will begin to work with her to regain her speech and her mobility.
Amy’s medical challenges have taken an emotional and financial toll on her husband, Brian and their two girls, Cassidy and Hailey. Brian was laid off from his job around the same time as Amy’s cancer was diagnosed and although he has since accepted a new position as a Quality Technition at RD Machine in Hutchinson, they continue to struggle with the stress of all that is going on as well as the medical bills and loss of income. Brian was in the process of trying to remodel their aging home when all of this began so, unfortunately, they have been living in a home “under construction” during this time. It would be extremely helpful to this family if the house project could be completed so Amy would have a safe place to come home to when the time is right. They also could use some help with the mounting medical expenses they have incurred thus far and will likely continue to mount in the months, and likely years, to come.
Please support this family during this time of struggle. Thank you and God bless you.
The past few years have presented a series of challenges to Brian and Amy and their two girls. It began in July, 2016, when Amy, at age 42, was diagnosed with stomach cancer. Following surgery where the tumors and two thirds of her stomach were removed, she began oral chemotherapy and the long road to recovery.
In the Fall of 2017, Amy began having severe headaches. She drove herself to the emergency room where they found she had suffered a ruptured brain aneurysm. She was rushed to Hennepin County Medical Center where she underwent immediate brain surgery. After 17 days in the SICU, Amy went home to begin yet another long road to recovery. Over the next year and a half, Amy continued to be monitored by doctors for both the stomach cancer and the aneurysm repair. This past Spring, doctors determined a minor surgery to finish repairing the aneurysm was needed and scheduled for July 1, 2019. This “simple” surgery turned into a nightmare of complications.
During the 5 hour surgery, surgeons discovered a second large aneurysm that they attempted to repair. Although Amy seemed to be recovering well immediately after surgery, within a half an hour she developed a headache, numbness in her fingers and her speech began to decline. A CT scan showed bleeding in yet a different part of her brain as well as significant swelling. She was placed in a medically induced coma and, eventually, a craniectomy was performed to help relieve pressure in the brain. Amy remained in the medically induced coma and on a ventilator for 3 weeks. The sedation medication was then discontinued and a tracheotomy was performed so she could safely be taken off the ventilator. She has a PEG(feeding tube) and the doctors are currently considering a shunt in her brain to help drain spinal fluid.
Currently, Amy is opening her eyes, can make eye contact and move her left arm and leg. To this point, she remains unable to communicate. Her recovery has been and will be slow and she will need months of hospitalization and rehabilitation. There is no way to know what the future holds or how long her recovery will be, but we continue to be optimistic and keep hope alive! Amy will soon be transferred to Regency Hospital in Golden Valley where they will begin to work with her to regain her speech and her mobility.
Amy’s medical challenges have taken an emotional and financial toll on her husband, Brian and their two girls, Cassidy and Hailey. Brian was laid off from his job around the same time as Amy’s cancer was diagnosed and although he has since accepted a new position as a Quality Technition at RD Machine in Hutchinson, they continue to struggle with the stress of all that is going on as well as the medical bills and loss of income. Brian was in the process of trying to remodel their aging home when all of this began so, unfortunately, they have been living in a home “under construction” during this time. It would be extremely helpful to this family if the house project could be completed so Amy would have a safe place to come home to when the time is right. They also could use some help with the mounting medical expenses they have incurred thus far and will likely continue to mount in the months, and likely years, to come.
Please support this family during this time of struggle. Thank you and God bless you.
Organizer and beneficiary
Laurie Wachholz
Organizer
Minneapolis, MN
Brian Roulet
Beneficiary