Life can change in an instant

Lisa Pettis doesn't know a stranger.  As quiet of a person as she is, Lisa becomes friends with everyone that she meets.  When you ask her close friends to describe her, they will smile and laugh, and then tell you that she has a wonderfully dry sense of humor.  She is an extremely intelligent person, and a great listener.  She truly loves her job as a VPK teacher at Orange Grove Elementary, and shows up every single day ready to be the best version of herself for her students.
        Unfortunately on Thursday, August 22, tragedy struck as Lisa suffered a major stroke while at school.  Luckily she was with coworkers that were able to call emergency services as soon as they realized what was happening.  She was taken to Mortant Plant hospital and immediately went into surgery to remove a 7cm blood clot from her brain.  The surgery was a success, but 24 hours later another emergency surgery had to be preformed because her brain kept swelling and the doctors couldn't stop it.  Lisa survived this surgery, but is currently resting under heavy sedation while her brain heals.  During this time the doctors and nurses have requested Lisa receive as little stimulation as possible to allow her brain to rest.  This means no visitors, flowers or anything for the next few days.
      We have had so many friends and community members reach out offering any help they can provide.  As of now the only thing that we can think Lisa needs, other than prayers, is to know that her 2 daughters, Lauren and Kate, are protected and safe.  Lauren (16) is a junior at St. Pete Collegiate High School and Kate (14) is a freshman in the medical program at Boca Ciega High School.  This is a really hard time for these two sweet girls as Lisa has always been their rock.  She has raised these two girls as a single mom for many years.  We know that asking for help isn't really in Lisa's vocabulary, but when it comes to her daughters she will do anything.  Starting this GoFundMe page was the best way we can think of helping Lisa and her family.  Knowing that her two daughters are taken care of will allow Lisa to concentrate on her healing and will help give her strength during this tough battle.  We know that Lisa will be overwhelmed with the love and support she is receiving from her Orange Grove family, her current and past students and families, and our community.  We all know Lisa is a fighter, but please keep her in your thoughts and prayers for some serious healing as she fights to regain her strength.