Sierra Needs Our Support

Hi. This is Christina and Scott Darcy. We have created this GoFundMe for the care of our niece, Sierra Innamorato, which will be the responsibility of her parents Joseph and Stacey Innamorato. Thank you for reading Sierra’s story and for your continued support.

On Mother’s Day 2024, Sierra Innamorato accidentally hit her head.

What’s happened since is almost impossible to believe. But it happened. To Sierra. And now she needs our help.

We didn’t think much of the accident at the time. She hit her head. It happens when you’re young and maybe a little clumsy. It’s normal. After complaining of bad headaches for the next 3 days, Sierra went to the emergency room. They told her she had a concussion and sent her home.

It didn’t stop there, though. Sierra was nauseous and bright light was bothering her. She got progressively sicker. She spiked a 103 degree fever. When the “concussion” started to affect her speech, we knew something was very wrong. She was rushed back to the ER, where the concussion diagnosis changed to meningitis. But it still didn’t stop there.

Sierra was transferred from the ER to another hospital where a battery of tests and blood cultures were done on her. The results were the scariest yet. She had pneumococcal meningitis, a rare and life-threatening bacterial infection. The doctors think she may have had a sinus infection when she hit her head. A simple bump to the head took the infection from her sinuses to her brain, and now her life was at risk.

Sierra’s brain had suffered massive swelling by the time she was rushed to Hartford Hospital. The doctors there acted quickly and truly saved her life. They immediately took her into an operating room and conducted a 5-hour craniotomy in the middle of the night. It was as scary as it sounds. Sierra had the left side of her skull removed to treat the infection and help reduce the swelling.

All of this because she accidentally hit her head.

Doctors are hopeful that Sierra can make a full recovery, but nothing is promised. She has a long road ahead of her. The recovery process will be extensive. After she recovers enough from this major surgery, Sierra will eventually be released from the hospital and transferred to a long-term rehabilitation facility. There, she will have to re-learn how to walk, talk, and do everyday tasks. At 21 years old and with her whole life ahead of her, Sierra is going to have to teach herself to do all the things that we probably take for granted. We know she will be up for the challenge, though.

There are so many wonderful things about Sierra that we want to tell you about. She’ll probably hate that we set this up for her and would never have asked for help herself, but that says a lot about the kind of person she is. She’s always more concerned about others than herself.

Sierra is sweet, but can be shy. She’s funny yet quiet. She can be both outwardly creative and deeply introspective at the same time. She’s a lot of special and unique things all at once. She loves to draw. Loves makeup and fashion. She also loves music, going to concerts, and has a wide range of musical tastes. She loves Harry Styles and Taylor Swift. She also loves going to the Governor’s Ball festival in New York for her favorite rap and hip hop artists. She is such a bright light to all of us who love her. And as someone who always thinks more about others, it’s now our turn to put her first.

Your support, whether through well wishes or sharing her story or making a donation, means so much to all of us who want to see our daughter, sister, granddaughter, niece, cousin, and friend Sierra through these trying times.

100% of all donations received through this GoFundMe will go towards Sierra’s medical costs (i.e. hospital bills, multiple emergency room bills, multiple ambulance services, and any other medical expenses that will come from the many months of rehabilitation ahead). Sierra’s parents have taken a leave of absence from work during her recovery, which will significantly decrease their income. Your donations will also towards family expenses related to Sierra’s medical crisis. Sierra herself will also be out of work for 6-12 months while she is recovering, so no donation is too small. Your support means so much to us and the entire Innamorato family.

Thank you for reading. Thank you for sharing her story. Hug your loved ones, don’t take anything in life for granted, and thank you helping to support Sierra on her comeback tour.