Steph’s Journey Back
https://youtu.be/CeROkBV1cMU
This is the story of a woman who wasn’t
supposed to live - But she did.
This is my mom Stephanie, who is one of the most loving, passionate and creative people you will ever meet. She is fearless and a fighter. Steph is a loved daughter, mother and “Mawmaw” to a granddaughter.
Steph was AirCared to UC Medical Center NSICU on August 24th, 2019. She suffered a Grade 5 Subarachnoid Hemorrhage (SAH) due to a ruptured brain aneurysm. Steph spent 30 days in NSICU and 30 days in a critical rehab facility. Through her stay at NSICU, she battled her initial deadly hemorrhage, pneumonia, a second bleed which resulted in two EVD drains, Vasospasm and multiple procedures to coil and control her bleeding. To say that this time was a roller coaster is putting it lightly.
When it was time for Stephanie to move on from NSICU she went to Drake Rehab Hospital and had a rigorous routine everyday filled with Speech, Occupational and Physical therapy. This was very exhausting for Steph but it was what she needed. During her time at the rehab hospital there were a lot of gains and progress but also realizations of how much this injury impacted our mom’s brain.
Since rehab, Steph has been getting acclimated to normal life again and solely focusing on healing. This injury has impacted Steph in a lot of ways, like her vision, memory (Short-Term and Long-Term) and physical stability/strength to name a few. Even with these obstacles, our mom is a true miracle, in part to diligence, science, effort, tears, determination, medicine and heart. Stephanie is in the top 1% of people to recover this way with the severity of her aneurysm. She continues to amaze and make progress every day. We have so much hope for what the future holds for Stephanie, but this does not come without a price.
We are coming up on one year since Steph’s aneurysm. We held off on asking for help because Steph’s recovery was our #1 priority and we didn’t want to ask for even more help than folks were already giving us (time, support, etc.) but it’s now a matter of looking to the future and recognizing the impact thesebills are going to make on her ability to get the best treatment and fully recover. Steph will need multiple caregivers, countless doctors and a full medical team for the foreseeable future, if not for the rest of her life. These expenses will likely cripple us financially. However, we do know it’s the right thing to do to give her the best chance at a full recovery.
In addition to the obstacles this injury has put in my mom’s way, creativity is one side effect we did not expect! Not only does she see faces in everything she looks at (Pareidolia) she finds true comfort and joy out of coloring. To show our gratitude, donors of $250+ will receive a special print with a hand-written message from Steph.
Below are a few resources that are relevant to my mom’s injury:
https://bafound.org/about-brain-aneurysms/brain-aneurysm-basics/warning-signs-symptoms/
https://www.verywellmind.com/confabulation-definition-examples-and-treatments-4177450
https://www.stroke.org/en/about-stroke/effects-of-stroke/physical-effects-of-stroke/physical-impact/visual-disturbances
We are so appreciative of all the support and prayers that friends, family and members of the community have shown. Stephanie has felt this love and it has helped keep her fighting spirit.
Thank you all! Steph Strong ✨