Rally for Joelle's Stroke Recovery

Update from the Huebners 1/19/25

Joelle had the brain stem cavernoma removed on 1/15/25. The surgeon said the surgery went terrific and they were able to remove the entire mass. Her recovery right after surgery went well also, she was moved out of PICU after one day. She will be moved back to the rehab floor for some additional inpatient therapy for hopefully only a couple more weeks. She is getting pretty antsy to go home. She’s been in the hospital for 5 weeks now.

At the end of all this she is here and she’s healthy and will be able to make whatever future she choses.

We have so many people to thank over these long weeks that let us be able to be here for Joelle. All of our amazing friends and family that watched our home, pets, helped with Marah and pretty much anything we asked. All of the gracious people that donated to help us stay afloat while we weren’t working and to help cover some of the medical costs that will be coming. Thanks to Aiden for being by Joelle’s side through all of this.

The community support we’ve received is very appreciated as well.

We can’t say enough how blessed and lucky we are to everyone that has supported our family during this stressful time. We love you all!

God Bless! ❤️

The Huebners

1.9.25 Update from the Huebners:

We are moving forward with surgery, we are hesitant because Joelle is making such great strides in rehab and to see her go backwards at all is scary. The surgery is eliminating the chance of a rebleed but with any surgery there are risks. This surgery is in a very serious spot, the brain stem. While we are scared, nervous and hopeful, this is the route we decided and Joelle is 100% on board, so here we go! What we have looked for in this whole thing is someone to give us the exact outcome but unfortunately no one can do that. She has been amazing through all this, lots of ups and downs as this was and is a major change in her life.

Our goal after surgery is to get her closer to home for whatever rehab is needed. So we are working on that process now. All she wants is to be back home! We all do!!!

Thank you all again for your donations, your thoughts and prayers. You have no idea what this means to our family. We have a long road and tons of uncertainty with changes at home to any future procedures Jo may need. So please know we are so appreciative to everyone!

Please keep Joelle in your prayers January 15th for a successful surgery! ❤️

Love, Heidi, Dan, Joelle and Marah

12.24.24 update from the Huebners:

Just wanted to give everyone an update on Joelle. It’s a day by day journey full of ups and downs. Since it happened Dan and I are seeing small improvements each day. From her speech becoming a bit more clear, her beautiful smile coming back, and being able to stand with assistance to brush her teeth. She’s making progress every day. GOD IS GOOD! Dan and I want to thank you all from the bottom of our hearts, the kindness and generosity is more than we could have imagined. Joelle is a fighter and will get thru this. Please continue to keep her in your prayers as we make the biggest and scariest decision of our/her life in the upcoming weeks. She has a long road ahead and a lot healing.

Thank you, The Huebner’s ❤️

An update and a thank you from the Huebners:

I just wanted to jump on quick and THANK everyone for the messages, calls, texts, flowers, donations…. Everything is so appreciated. You have no idea how much your love, support and prayers are helping Joelle and Dan, Marah and I. This is nothing we could have ever imagined but such is life, I guess. Joelle is stable now and being moved out of PICU to a regular room later today so she’s improving every single day. She has so many therapies each say and she’s trying so hard so she can get back home as fast as she can. I will provide updates as I’m able too. We love you all! Keep the prayers coming for my baby girl! ❤️❤️❤️❤️

On Monday, December 16th, 17-year-old, D.C. Everest Senior, Joelle Huebner, woke up with a sore throat and headache that eventually turned into vomiting. She and her family thought she caught a virus going around. By Tuesday, Joelle’s headache was getting worse and was not responding to medication and subsequently developed right-sided weakness and slurred speech. She was immediately taken to Aspirus ER where a CT scan showed that Joelle had suffered a hemorrhagic stroke in the cerebral brain stem. She was airlifted to Madison where angiography revealed that Joelle had a congenital cavernous malformation in the cerebral brain stem. While the bleeding has currently stopped, Joelle remains in the ICU and has residual right-sided weakness and will need weeks of inpatient physical therapy and rehab and eventually will need very serious brain surgery to remove the cavernous malformation to prevent a future, and possibly even more debilitating, hemorrhagic stroke.

I’m reaching out to family, friends, and the community to help this beautiful young woman and her family offset the costs of insurance deductibles and the financial losses the family will have while Heidi and Dan are in Madison to be with their daughter, as well as the cost of going back and forth from Madison to Wausau to take care of their other 10-year-old daughter, Joelle’s sister, Marah. Any amount you can give will go a long way to helping this family. If you’re unable to give financially, please keep Joelle and her family in your thoughts and prayers over this holiday season.