This fundraiser is to support Stephanie Macarages and her family as they navigate her glioblastoma diagnosis.

Many of you have reached out about ways to help, and your support is greatly appreciated. Rather than continue to collect your flowers and meals, we decided to organize a donation to help with her medical expenses.

Stephanie was diagnosed with glioblastoma in November of 2019. She bounced back quickly after her first brain surgery (on Thanksgiving Day 2019), completed chemotherapy and radiation, enrolled in a clinical trial at UF, under which she continued chemotherapy for an additional year, received Keytruda infusions every three weeks, and wore a device called Optune on her scalp 24/7. For 16 months, we were blessed with stable MRIs.

In June of 2021, we (and her doctors) were shocked when her MRI showed a mass much larger than the first. Two weeks later, she underwent her second brain surgery.

When she woke up from this surgery, we were again shocked when she could not communicate and she was unable to feel or move the right side of her body. It has been a challenging eight weeks (to say the least), but she has remained determined throughout hours of physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech therapy, and has made tremendous progress. She is still pushing through her recovery and making progress each day. She is back in her clinical trial and praying for many more stable MRIs to come.

We later learned that she had a stroke during surgery, which explains why this recovery has been such a challenge. She recently had a grand mal seizure which made her recovery even more difficult. But she is determined to get better, and if anyone can do it, it’s her.

If you cannot donate, your thoughts or prayers for a full recovery and many more stable MRIs would be greatly appreciated. Thank you so much.