She need your support to perform urgent brain surgery.

My sister Janemny is 66 years old and currently lives in Venezuela. While we were all celebrating Easter, my sister suffered a hemorrhagic stroke and has since been hospitalized. She is awake and breathing almost entirely on her own, though she has some lasting effects from the bleeding.

Janemny is a wonderful friend, an amazing sister, and an incredible mother. She has a kind and loving heart, and she’s known for her generous spirit and humanity. As a family, we’ve done everything we can to support her with medications and caring for her son, but the situation in Venezuela has made the cost of living high and medical treatment not only extremely high, but also difficult to access.

At this time, Janemny has part of her skull open (craniotomy) to relieve pressure on her brain and she was treated for a cerebral aneurysm. She now suffers from hydrocephalus—her brain is producing excess cerebrospinal fluid that isn’t draining properly, which puts her at risk for increased intracranial pressure.

Her neurosurgeon has said that she urgently needs surgery to place a programmable ventriculoperitoneal shunt from her brain to her stomach to help drain the fluid, and to use the opportunity to close the opening in her skull. She will also require a bed in the intensive care unit after surgery.

Under normal conditions, hospitals would provide the materials needed for this type of procedure. Unfortunately, due to the crisis in Venezuela, families must cover not only the cost, but also the task of sourcing all medical supplies.

We are reaching out with humility and hope, asking for your support—any contribution, no matter the amount, will make a meaningful difference.

Here is the list of materials requested by the neurosurgeon:

• Programmable ventriculoperitoneal shunt

• Shunt guide

• 6 bone flap fixation plates + 12 screws

• 8x14 dural graft

• 3 large Gelfoam packs

• 3 packs of cottonoids

• 3 bone wax

• Rental of cranial and microsurgery surgical instrument kit.