Let's help Nathalie Recover

On November 9th, 2018; my wife Nathalie Rosario of 33 years of age suffered a severe stroke while visiting her family in the Dominican Republic. This was our first trip back since 2012 and our first trip as a new family with our daughter Olivia Marie, now 15 months of age.

Nathalie symptoms started the day we were set to travel to DR, she woke up with a severe headache and slurred speech. This raised concerns and I immediately called 911. When paramedics arrived at our house they performed on-the-go electro tests. The results appeared normal, however her blood pressure was elevated. At that moment Nathalie decided to take her blood pressure medication and seek further care from her cardiologist upon our return from DR.

On the 2nd day of our trip, she again woke up with slurred speech, however this time the symptoms were progressively worse. We observed that her right arm started to weaken and she began to experience overall fatigue. After witnessing these symptoms we decided to seek a doctor in the small town of Bonao to get a better diagnosis. The doctor sent her back home to get some rest and gave a prescription medicine to help her relax and sleep.

Later that night, Nathalie woke me up with a strong pull of the arm. That's was when I saw the desperation in her eyes, she was trying to speak, yet not one word would come out. I tried to remain calm and called my mother to tell her what was happening; she's a Dr herself. She advised me to take Nath to the emergency room as she was presenting signs of a stroke. At that moment I felt like my heart stopped. Never in a million years could I have ever imagined that a healthy, strong, vibrant and loving 33 year old mom and wife would succumb to a stroke.

At this point we rushed to the emergency room. After several hours she was transported to a bigger hospital where specialized care could be provided. At this hospital we would spend the following three days before getting cleared for travel back to the US. Needless to say these were the longest and most disparing days of our lives.

My wife Nathalie suffered from multiple strokes split between our time in the Dominican Republic and back home in the US while hospitalized. The second stroke caused catastrophic damage to the left side of the brain, therefore affecting her ability to speak, write, read (language as a whole) and paralysis on the right side of her face and body. The cause of the stroke remains unknown and doctors at the UM Hospital have worked tirelessly to find the underlying causes of these strokes. Studies have  found the Nath suffers from a rare arterial disease called “moyamoya” which affects only 1% of the population.  This disease makes her case uniquely complicated and difficult to treat.

Luckily with the help of God, friends, family and the team of neurologists at UM Hospital she was able to get out of the critical stage of brain edema which could’ve damaged the other side of the brain as well. There is now a long road to recovery ahead with possible surgeries to correct the arterial anomaly which could prevent future strokes from happening. 


That’s why I am asking for your support.  Your support will help Nathalie with necessary treatments, surgeries, physical rehabilitation and speech training for her fast recuperation and recovery.  Currently she is experiencing paralysis on the right side of her body and she will require extensive physical therapy to help her regain mobility and use of the right side of her body.  We ask that you donate whatever amount that you are able to contribute towards Nathalie's recovery so she can continue to be a kind and caring person that is full of life!  Our baby girl Olivia will be grateful for your help today....

 
Any donation amount will help towards our goal to cover most of the medical and rehab expenses. Thanks and God bless you.