Angie's Brain Injury Recovery Fund

Kelsey Rightnow is organizing this fundraiser.

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On November 28, 2010, my mother Angie Rightnowar tripped and fell down the basement stairs. When my sister Hayley and I found her at home few hours later, she was slipping in and out of consciousness. She was rushed to the hospital and the doctors performed an emergency craniotomy. She wouldn’t wake up for another 8 weeks.

At the time, Hayley was 19 and I was 23. My Mom was 58 – a single working mom beginning a new life as her baby birds were leaving the nest. She was raising the two of us by herself with no family support, while working a high level marketing job at a dental insurance company in St. Louis, MO.

After she woke up we were thrilled to have our mother finally returned to us and ready for the road to recovery. But, unfortunately, that wasn’t the case. Instead, we were shuffled back and forth from acute rehab centers, long-term acute rehab centers, long-term hospitals and skilled nursing facilities all over the state of Missouri. During this time, Angie had a number of medical setbacks, stemming from immobility, poor sterilization precautions and insufficient medical care. Every time we faced a complication, it delayed our access to brain injury therapy more and more.

Seven months ago, she finally became well enough to try rehab again. We found a program unlike any other at the supported living program at Neurorestorative in Carbondale, IL. Angie lives in a home environment with four other people just like her, and with nurses and aids around 24 hours a day. She’s able to go to therapies geared toward brain injury without the threat of being discharged for not progressing at an accelerated rate. She has gained confidence, made friends, participated in her recovery and made gains physically and mentally. More so than we have ever witnessed in 4.5 years since her injury. At last! We have found the place to give Angie a chance.

Neurorestorative does not take Medicare, and also does not accept Missouri or Illinois Medicaid. In order for her stay, we have to continue to private pay the supported living program $15,500/month. With her long-term disability and Social Security payments, Angie accrues $7,500 a month. For Angie to continue to live and thrive in this community for another year, we need $100,000.

She is set to discharge this Monday, March 30. If together, we can raise $8,000 by then she may be able to avoid immediate discharge to yet another nursing home. Whether you can give $1 or $100 you will help keep Angie on the path to recovery.

Furthermore, my sister and I are beginning to document Angie’s journey and want to start sharing her progress along her path to an independent life. Angie’s story is part of a greater one of the people that slip through the cracks of our broken healthcare system. This cannot be ignored any longer. I want to highlight and share people and places that are working on cutting edge research in brain injury therapy.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this and PLEASE HELP GIVE ANGIE A REAL CHANCE AT REHAB!