Support Christina's Recovery from Brain Surgery

Back in July of 2024, my mother Christina ended up in the emergency room because she thought she had COVID which came back negative. The deciding factor on going to the emergency room was that she had fainted and hit her head, so the hospital conducted a CT scan. The CT scan showed that my mother had a mass in her brain, and the hospital followed the CT scan with an MRI of her Brain to confirm in fact there was a 3 cm mass.

After meeting with the Neurosurgeon, Otolaryngology that specializes in skull-based surgeries and a Neuro-ophthalmologist since the tumor was already pressing on her optic nerves and carotid arteries, they all confirmed that surgery was the only option for my mother to remove the mass.

My mom began her leave from her position as an Executive Assistant to the President and CEO of a Managed Care Organization at the beginning of August and her Short-Term Disability (STD) which is 60% of her pay began after a 30-day period.

Surround by her family and friends Christina's surgery took place on September 10, 2024. They admitted her into the hospital the day before to obtain the latest MRI scans of her brain, blood work and everything else the Doctor's needed prior to her surgery. The Surgery was a success, with minor complications as the IV that contained the Propofol infiltrated, and my mother was awake during the whole surgery and felt/heard everything the surgeons/nurses were doing including the excruciating pain of the surgery. We are not sure how she survived, but we are thankful my mom is with us today. She spent a week in the Neuro-ICU and when she was stable enough went back into a regular hospital room, where she was for another week.

My mother’s progression was not where she should have been, her blood levels were all over the place, and she was extremely weak. The Doctors called in several other Physicians to meet with my mom and conduct further testing. The recommendation was to send my mother to the rehabilitation center, so that she can work on Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy while they continued their testing. She was in Rehabilitation Center for another week before being discharged to come home, where she continues her recovery.

Christina still sees several doctors and requires additional monitoring. Currently the Cardiologist diagnosed her with POTS, that contributes to her blood pressure crashing and her passing out. He prescribed her medicine to help her with that. He also just conducted an echocardiogram which caught a glimpse of her lungs. The Cardiologist messaged my mother overnight telling her they found Pleural Effusion, which is fluid around the lungs and sent her for several tests yesterday, October 24, and we are awaiting the results and a referral to a Pulmonologist.

My mom also has to see another surgeon as she received nerve damage from a nurse that decided to take blood from the inside of her wrist. There is another test we are waiting to be approved to confirm how bad the damage is and if my mom will need to have surgery on her wrist or not.

I am asking for help as I was only able to be home with my mother the week of her surgery because I work 3 jobs and go to school full-time. Currently, I am a Senior at Louisiana State University (LSU), and my major is in Political Science concentration on Law/Legal and my minor is in Criminology. I am my mother's Medical Power of Attorney and managing the doctors, hospital and trying to arrange accommodations for my mother at home once she was released from the hospital has been a lot. Because her STD is only 60% of her pay and her medical bills are so high, there is not enough for her regular bills and my tuition.

I only have one semester left until I graduate in May of 2025. I am currently working on obtaining a fourth job, I am just waiting for my background to clear. I have always worked hard and will continue to assist my mom to the best of my abilities. It is very hard managing 3 jobs and a Full College schedule, so it will be even more stressful working 4 jobs and going to school I do not mind working so much, but it also makes it very hard for me to travel from Baton Rouge to Houston on the weekends to check on my mom and clean the house for her.

Any support is very much appreciated as every dollar counts. We hoping to raise $10,000 to help cover my mother’s medical bills, regular bills, and some of my tuition.

If you decide to make a donation, your name will be entered to win a customer 35-count bouquet including add-ons that is handmade by me as a thank you for your support. If you would like to view what some of my bouquets look like, please visit my site on IG: @siennas_bouquets.