Update as of September 14th: After a long hospital stay, Andrea is finally heading home this Tuesday, September 16th. We are so happy she will be home for the rest of her recovery! This long journey isn’t quite over yet, but she’s getting closer every day.

Once home, she’ll begin in-home nurse therapy and rehab three days a week. She’ll also be receiving antibiotic injections twice a day for 4–6 weeks, administered by her husband Rob. There will be many follow-up appointments in the coming months as part of her continued healing.

Andrea will be recovering in the comfort of her own home, surrounded by love — with Rob and their dog Axel, who has missed her very much.

❤️ How You Can Help

With both Rob and Andrea expected to be out of work for quite some time, we’re especially grateful for your continued prayers, kindness, and support. Your generosity truly means the world.

We are asking for help to cover:

• Medical bills not covered by insurance

• Loss of income for Rob/Andrea during this time.

• Ongoing treatments Andrea will need

Anything you can give—whether it's a donation, a share, or a kind word—will help lift some of the financial and emotional burden this family is facing.

Please keep Andrea and Rob in your thoughts and prayers. They have a long road ahead, but with your support, they don’t have to walk it alone.

Thank you so much.

Update as of September 5th: Andrea has reached an important milestone -her breathing tube has been removed! She’s been transferred out of Abbott ICU and is now at Courage Kenny Rehabilitation Institute, where she’s expected to stay for at least 14 days. While she still has a long road ahead, she’s definitely headed in the right direction.

She will be on a 2–3 month antibiotic treatment plan as part of her continued recovery. We’re so grateful for the progress she’s made and appreciate all the support and encouragement from everyone during this time.

Andrea’s health Journey

Help and pray to get Andrea through this Life-Threatening Brain Infection.

On Monday, August 11th, Andrea underwent a delicate brain surgery called Middle Cranial Fossa to remove a CSF (cerebrospinal fluid) leak. She spent two days in the ICU before being released home under strict recovery orders: no work for at least four weeks and 24/7 supervision. Her husband, Rob, did his best to care for her while juggling remote work.

By Friday, August 22nd, things looked promising. Andrea had her post-op checkup, the surgeon removed her stitches/staples, and she appeared to be healing well.

But just a day later, everything changed.

On Saturday August 23rd, Andrea developed an intense headache and took pain medication to manage it. A few hours later, she began vomiting. Concerned, she called the on-call surgical team. They advised her to switch to over-the-counter medication and avoid the stronger painkillers.

Unfortunately, her symptoms persisted—headaches and vomiting continued through the weekend. Monday was manageable, but by Tuesday, she was sleeping excessively and became increasingly sick throughout the night.

On Wednesday morning, Andrea woke up in excruciating pain with a pillow soaked in fluid. She called Rob, who thankfully rushed home and drove her straight to Mercy ER. Doctors immediately recognized how serious her condition was.

Andrea was diagnosed with Diabetic Ketoacidosis (DKA) and a life-threatening brain infection which could have been deadly if not dealt with at the time it was. Her condition was deemed critical, and doctors informed Rob that she would need to be placed on life support to give her body a fighting chance.

She was transported to Abbott, where she had her original surgery, and was reunited with her surgical team. A stat MRI revealed a pocket of infection in her brain, and Andrea was rushed into emergency surgery lasting over 2.5 hours to clean the infection and close the area again.

As of August 30th, She remains on life support, and we’re praying her body will be strong enough soon to have the breathing tube safely removed.