As many of you already know on July 31st Shelby Rose Mackey passed out in a cold sweat and was rushed to the hospital by ambulance. It was quickly discovered that Shelby had suffered a ruptured brain aneurysm in her middle corroded artery. The aneurysm was significant but due to the quick action of her friends she was taken to the hospital quickly and they were able to perform surgery very fast. The surgeon was able to stop the bleeding without any apparent significant brain damage. 

That was the first stage of her healing process. The second phase calls for her to be in ICU for three weeks while the blood and fluid dissipates from her brain. This is one of the hardest parts. The brain looks at the fluid as an irritant and this can cause the arteries to clamp down and cause a stroke. Shelby is being watched very closely. So far she is classified as critical but stable. She is having some issues with vision and memory but the hope is these issues are temporary. It can be very difficult at moments because she can appear fine. The side affects of blood on the brain are a silent killer. 

The third phase of recovery will require Shelby to have care at home, regular follow ups with a neurosurgeon and a lot of rest. 

As you know Shelby is an amazing mother who has sole responsibility of her 4 year old daughter Georgia. She has worked so hard to set up a good life for the two of them and she has succeeded. She and Georgia have not been able to see one another yet and this has been so hard on both of them. Georgia calls her mother everyday and tells her to work hard at getting better.

All of this is going to leave Shelby unable to return to work for awhile. Her employment doesn’t offer any disability pay so she has no source of income. Her parents are helping out a lot but Shelby could use financial support to help with this burden. She and Georgia were finally able to move into their own apartment on July 1st. They are setting up a sweet, safe place to live. Please consider helping out both financially and with prayers. This is going to be a long road, but Shelby plans to beat the odds. Many people don’t make it this far with the kind of bleed that she had. If you know her you know she’s a fighter. This is the time her feisty personality is most important.