Linaflor Hidalgo's recovery from assault

Hi, my name is Kate Hidalgo. I am starting this fundraiser to help my amazing mother-in-law with her medical needs. Here is her traumatic story...

On September 28th, 2022, the day before her 83rd birthday, Linaflor (Lina) Hidalgo was brutally attacked during a robbery attempt as she returned home from the bank. The attacker pulled her down her 5 porch steps by her purse strap and she landed on the concrete sidewalk directly onto her face and head. The attacker left her unconscious on the sidewalk.

Hospitalization/Initial Recovery

She was hospitalized in critical condition, unable to breathe on her own with severe head and facial trauma. She was on a ventilator for 10 days. Her facial trauma made her unrecognizable and trauma to her right eye threatened her vision. Most significantly she had 3 brain hemorrhages/brain bleeds. It was clear from the beginning and throughout this arduous process that she had significant brain damage, changing her life forever.

After 30 days in the hospital she was transferred to a 20-day intensive rehab to start the process of recovering from this horrible life-altering trauma.

Transition to home life

She returned to her own home on November 20th, 2022. Since that time she has continued to have therapy at home but with little to no progress. She has required 24/7 care from her family and private duty aides at a cost of $768 a day which is approximately $23,000 a month. This care is needed to prevent her from falling and to assist her with all of her activities of daily living.

Long lasting challenges

This previously independent woman now needs help:

She also needs help:

She cannot be left alone. Someone has to be within arm’s reach of her to prevent her from getting up and falling.

The biggest challenge for her is the significant effect that the brain injury had on her cognition and her personality. The damage to her brain has caused her to have problems with:

Often forgetting that the injuries occurred, she gets frustrated with her limitations because she does not understand what happened to her, where she is or even what year it is.

Who is she?

Sadly, this beautiful matriarch of our family will likely never be the same.

She will no longer be able to make her famous egg-rolls, cook her delicious Filipino food, grow her amazing vegetable garden, grow her house plants (bigger than anyone else), go to Delaware Park for an evening out with her husband or enjoy life’s big events with her family.

Her name is Linaflor Hidalgo but we know her as Mom, Mom-mom and Ate Lina.

She is a wife, mother, grand-mother, great grand-mother, sister, aunt and friend; a devout Catholic and long-time resident of Little Italy in Wilmington, DE; a former second grade school teacher at St. Anthony of Padua, and Maternity Ward Unit Clerk at St. Francis Hospital.

Purpose of the fundraiser

OUR HOPE is for her to be able to recover enough brain function to be happy, feel safe and remain in her home surrounded by her loving family. She deserves so much more in life than this because she has given so much of herself to so many. Now she needs us all to support her.

Please consider helping by contributing to this Go-Fund Me fundraiser. The money raised will go directly towards medical expenses already incurred as a result of the attack, future medical expenses, house modifications necessary due to her disability and to pay for the caregivers needed around the clock to assist her.

This tragic event has changed her life forever. Please pray for her healing and comfort.