Support for Catherine's recovery

Story

If Angels walk among us, my sister in law, Catherine, is definitely one. She is just one of those special souls that is kind to her core, is grateful for the simplicities of every day life, has unwavering faith in God and is such a dedicated and loving wife and mother. If there is one person in this life that does not deserve what has been dealt to to her this past month, it is Catherine. On February 11th, she went to urgent care thinking that she may have a UTI. Within hours she was in the emergency room having scans and blood tests done. She had an abnormal blood platelet count and they found a mass behind her uterus. She was told that she would need to have a hysterectomy on February 14th. She went into surgery saying that she must be so loved and blessed to be having surgery on Valentine’s Day and told us all that she would be ok and for us to be strong. So typical of Catherine to make sure everyone else was ok. Surgery was going well and we were all praying that the biopsy would be negative for cancer, which we would find out later that it was….Thank God. However, as they were finishing up the surgery, a blood clot went to her heart and they had to revive her. She lacked oxygen to her brain and suffered a stroke and anoxic brain injury. Catherine remained in ICU for 3 weeks as she struggled to recover from the pain from surgery accompanied by a major stroke where she lost her speech and most of her muscle movement. She has been able to answer yes and no questions with her feet and each day is making a tiny bit of progress. As of Friday, March 8th, she was admitted to a rehab facility where she will undergo intensive therapy, including speech, OT, and PT. We found out that she has a rare blood condition called Polycythemia which causes complications such as blood clots, stroke and heart attack but is manageable with medication. SO, although we are on a long road to recovery, this situation may have very well saved her life. Catherine has her spirit about her and she is fighting. The sparkle in her eyes gets a little bit brighter every day and you can see the that she is determined to make a recovery. Her boys; Sage, 10, and Eli, 14, have been so brave and supportive. They need their mom and she will continue to fight her hardest. Nathan has been a rock, has been by her side and has taken it all moment by moment, day by day. The love that the two have for each other and the hope and faith that they have is what will continue to carry them through. I am so proud of all four of them. Although the medical bills, rehab, and transforming her home to accommodate her recovery will be an added hardship, I have created this GoFundMe for reasons more than monetary help. I wanted to share her story so there can be an abundance of prayers, good thoughts, and all the positive vibes you can release into the universe to bring well wishes to Catherine and her family. I have created an email to send messages of support, hope and love and to share photos that we can add to a skylight frame so that she can see everyone that is thinking about her. Please send a message through this site and I will share the email with you directly or the address where cards can be mailed to. During one of the toughest days in ICU, Nathan and I promised her a Hawaiian vacation, a trip to Kauai! She lifted her foot in excitement. We are going to do our best to make it happen and will remind her on the days she may be struggling that everyone is cheering her on to get there. I think we can make it happen. We should all strive to be a little more like Catherine because she is an incredible human and makes our world a better place. Remember to hug your loved ones a little tighter and tell them how much they mean to you. Life is precious and can change in a second. Thank you for your love and support, Julia