Please Donate to Help Erin and Franco Barresi

Hello, we are Mae Richardson and Lynn Rodgers, and we have established this GoFundMe to help our dear friend, Erin Barresi, a graduate of Mt. St. Mary's University, and teacher for over twenty years in the Archdiocese of Baltimore, (Sacred Heart, Glyndon,  St. Pius, and currently,  St. Joseph, Cockeysville) and her husband, Franco, a graduate of Mt. St. Joseph, who is a small business owner of a home improvement company. They are enduring tremendous challenges right now, and we want to give those who know and love them the opportunity to help and support them. They have brought so much to the lives of others, and can always be counted on to lend a helping hand. The time has come for us to return their kindness to them. Here's the current situation:

 

Franco was diagnosed with a Petroclival meningioma on December 21, 2021. When Erin and Franco first met with his surgeon on December 27, they were told that it would take brain and ear surgery; he would be out in 10 days. The reality has been quite different. 

 

On January 25, Franco had his first surgery, to stop the blood flow to the tumor; that surgery was 4.5 hours long. It was then that doctors discovered the tumor was much larger than anyone expected. The second surgery, on January 26, was necessary to remove a piece of Franco's skull, so that the doctors could access the tumor, and it took 10.5 hours. January 26 was tumor removal day-- 21.5 hours later, Franco was back in his room. He had undergone a total of 36.5 hours of brain surgery.  Because of the size of this tumor, his brain had been moved past the midline. This caused a traumatic brain injury. 

He was in the ICU at UMMC from January 25 through March 3. On March 3, he was transferred to the old Kernan hospital, which is currently part of the University of Maryland system.  Now, almost three months post-surgery, Franco is working  hard with his PT, OT, and speech therapists. He is showing his tremendous courage and determination as he pushes every day to regain his  pre-surgery strength, although his overall long-term prognosis remains unknown.  At this time, we know that Franco will need two more surgeries--so, despite all he has already endured, his ordeal is not over.

 

The medical bills have started to roll in. Currently, while insurance is covering some costs, between the amount that we already know and with future projections, the Barresis' estimated total expense from the hospital is $200,000. In addition, to come home and live a life of dignified comfort, Franco will need their house to be modified to allow him ease of access in a wheelchair. The estimated cost of those absolutely necessary renovations for the Barresi home is around $50,000. As you can imagine, these expenses are incredibly overwhelming for Erin, who just wants to focus on Franco's healing, supporting his progress in whatever way necessary to get him back home.

 

We know our fundraising goal is high, but so is our hope. We are sharing this story with everyone we can, to get all the possible assistance we can find for Erin and Franco. Please share the link for this page with everyone you know. And please, if either of these two amazing individuals has ever touched your life, or if you just want to thank God for all your blessings and pay it forward, donate to help the Barresi family. We deeply appreciate your generosity, and thank you on Erin and Franco's behalf. Your help will be invaluable to them.