Support for Chelsea after a Stroke

As some of you already know, my best friend Chelsea Smith suffered a stroke on February 21st, 2022. She had been in and out of the hospital in the previous few weeks due to a range of scary symptoms. On Tuesday the 21st, doctors at Baystate discovered a tear in her medulla, believed to be caused by Chelsea's connective tissue disorder, Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome. She was rushed to the ICU, having lost her ability to see, speak, swallow, or move. Her family has been by her side at the hospital. Chelsea has been incredibly brave through this ordeal, and wanted her community to know also that her care at Baystate has been phenomenal.

Chelsea has made a lot of small and large progress each day. She can now speak, swallow, and has taken a few steps using a walker with assistance. She has partially regained her vision. On Feb 27, she was transferred out of the ICU to acute care. Her care team has let Chelsea know that she is improving by leaps and bounds, but they do not know when she will be released to rehab or, further down the line, get to go home.

As many of you know, Chelsea runs a small home daycare in Amherst. She has swiftly lost her only income. She has been notified by her doctors that she should not expect to work again for months. If you know Chelsea, you may also know that she has had a hard few years as a small business owner due to the pandemic and other challenges.

So many people love Chelsea and have asked how to help. Since we don’t know when she will get to go home, it is difficult to answer all of the generous offers of meals and other at-home support. Understanding that crises are unimaginably expensive, I started this fundraiser for anyone who would like to donate to help support Chelsea financially. All funds will go directly to her.

Chelsea has been my best friend since we were eight years old. I think of her as my heart outside my body. If you know her, you know that she is a beam of light with a high calling for caring for others. She is absolute magic with infants and children, animals, the elderly, and people with special needs. She has dedicated her life to serving these groups ever since she was a kid herself. It's amazing to see her community rally around her in her most difficult time. Thank you for having Chelsea in your prayers and thoughts as she heals.