Rhianna's Fight

As some of you may know, my dear friend Rhianna has been battling some debilitating health issues over the last year and a half.

This journey started with Rhianna experiencing involuntary movements and excruciating pain. After a year-long fight visiting with doctor after doctor, on December 5TH 2023 Rhianna received a phone call regarding the results of her MRI. The results showed that she had a possible infection in her spine, which resulted in a massive spinal surgery where they fused C1-T1 (this is her entire neck for those of you that don’t know).

After a few days of recovery, she was discharged home where things took a turn for the worse. On December 11th, 2023 her sister went to check on her and found Rhianna barely responsive and paralyzed from the neck down. EMS was called and Rhianna was taken to the nearest hospital. Upon arrival it was discovered that she had dangerously low blood pressure and no feeling or sensation throughout her body. Rhianna was then flown back to Rochester where she underwent a second massive surgery as doctors believed a blood clot to be the cause of this. Unfortunately, that was not the case and doctors are still unsure as to why this happened to Rhianna.

She spent two weeks in the ICU to stabilize her blood pressure. She was not able to get out of the bed during this time which resulted in major muscle loss throughout her body. Doctors finally were able to stabilize her blood pressure and then moved her to the Neuroscience unit where she spent another week. Rhianna slowly began to feel sensations and regain some movements which allowed her to be moved to the Rochester rehabilitation department where she spent another three weeks participating in very intense therapy to hopefully re-build muscle and strength.

Which brings us to today. Rhianna has since been moved to another nursing home/rehab center to continue her fight to regain independence. Although she is closer to home, she is still 45 minutes from home where her two children reside. It is unknown at this time when Rhianna will be able to return home.

This unexpected tragedy has been difficult for her family to adjust too. I am personally asking for donations on behalf of Rhianna and her loved ones fighting by her side. These donations will help with traveling expenses for the family, medical supplies not covered by insurance, and adaptive equipment that will allow Rhianna to visit her home. If you are able, please donate to this account or say a prayer for Rhianna and her family for continued healing.

Thank you and God bless. <3