Support Allegra Hsiao And Her Family

On August 19, 2024 Allegra Hsiao suffered from a ruptured brain aneurysm. It came out of nowhere. She spent the next 29 days in the Neuro ICU at UCSF Parnassus Hospital, mostly in comatose, and had to undergo several life-saving procedures. Allegra is now being cared for in the TCU (Transitional Care Unit) at Kaiser’s SF Geary Hospital. She is still recovering from several surgeries and is not able to talk or make eye contact yet, but is able to communicate at times mostly through hand squeezes and thumb raises. At other times, she is not as responsive. But Allegra, or Allie as many know her, has never been scared to do hard things or give up on something she believes in and this is no different. She is trying so hard to communicate and her family and friends are doing everything we can to support her. The doctors estimate 9-12 months of rehab, but it’s unclear what the recovery will look like and what disabilities might be permanent. Allie’s husband Chris created a Caring Bridge site to keep friends and family informed on her path to recovery and to share updates on their 5-year old daughter Lily. Your support for Allie, Chris, and Lily is greatly appreciated!

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Allegra Hsiao is in critical condition at the Neuro ICU at UCSF recovering from a brain aneurysm that ruptured on August 19th. While her survival is still in question and her long-term prognosis is unknown, we remain hopeful. The doctors gave her a 20% chance of a “positive neurological outcome” on August 23, this past Friday they said if she survives the next few weeks, “the likelihood that she’ll be able to remember and interact meaningfully with the people she loves is 50%+.” Allie is receiving excellent medical care and we are grateful for the outpouring of love and support from friends and family.

 

I set this fund up to help collect donations for future unknown needs. We can’t anticipate what financial hardships Allie (my cousin), Chris (her husband), and Lily (their 5 year old daughter) will face as result of this tragedy. We don’t know how long Allie will have to stay in the ICU or what future medical bills and expenses they will confront when she leaves the hospital. We do know that the road to recovery will be long and hard…but also full of love. At the hospital this Sunday, Chris and I discussed whether it was appropriate to set up a GoFundMe given that Allie has medical insurance. But there is so much uncertainty ahead. Knowing we can always donate un-needed funds to the UCSF Neuro department, I volunteered to set this up.

 

Please only donate what you are comfortable with, as the target is mostly arbitrary for now. I will update this page when I know more about how their family can best use donated funds and if there are any focused donation targets to try and achieve.

 

Thank you for your love and support.

For those that know Allegra (or Allie as I have always known her) personally: Please also consider writing a letter or card or email that Chris could read to her in the hospital. While it’s not clear how much she can hear and process, it’s clear she can hear some things. I imagine it’s better to hear words from all the people that love her mixed in with all of the confusing neuro tests the nurses and doctors have to constantly run. Please contact me for the mailing address so it doesn't need to be posted on an open web page (Scroll down to where the Organizer is listed and click the Contact Me button).

-Mark (Allie's cousin in San Mateo)