In Memory of our Beloved Ann Marie

On the evening of September 21st, my beautiful mother Ann Dellisanti-Rojas was discovered in the middle of the night by my stepfather in the midst of suffering a set of what was determined to be multiple severe strokes, coming seemingly out of nowhere. After being rushed to the ER and admitted to ICU, Ann at only 49 years young, is now fighting for her life with each passing hour. It was discovered through scans that multiple bloodclots have formed and have been circulating throughout her body, and have collected in the arteries in the neck and brain, along with the side effects and post trauma of the strokes.

She was quickly transferred to a larger Neurological Institution, and we are relieved that she is in the best hands in the country, but nevertheless we as a family are traumatized, terrified, and uncertain what the future holds. Ann has been kept medically unconscious and intubated for the 9 days as doctors work as hard as humanly possible 24/7 to pinpoint what the cause of this is and help to track and monitor her brain swelling, check the responsiveness of her body to the many treatments, and offer comfort to her in the best ways they can as she rests and tries to heal.

My mother currently has an unknown discharge date due to the instability of her condition, and the fact that news is changing on the hour as the specialists attempt to narrow down what may have happened and as she continues to clot mysteriously, despite her high level of blood thinners she is being administered-- all while being sure her other vitals and bodily needs remain stable.

Realistically, it breaks our hearts to say that we do not know her outcome, but are hoping with everything in our souls for the best for her and for her to wake up-- as we have been told if she recovers and continues to remain stable and eventually heal, this is going to be multiple weeks in the ICU, and then months if not years of rehabilitation resulting in a permanent disability for the rest of her life.

Ann is going to have a very long road ahead of recovery as she is hopefully soon brought back to consciousness, becomes stable with her swelling, and eventually relearns mobility in her entire left side post stroke. Life will be different from now on, but as long as we have her with us-- we don’t care what the future holds.

Ann was not known by herself or her family to have any prior health concerns or existing conditions, but doctors are assuming to the best of their ability that this is a culmination of many factors. It has been described as “the perfect storm” which is something no one wants to hear about the most important person in their lives and has touched the hearts of countless people and families through her kindness, humor, talents, and unconditional love for others.

This has blindsided us. She does not deserve this. And as we gather to desperately figure out the next best steps, we humbly turn to all those who love her to help provide comfort and solace as we try to get our Annie better and create a comfortable life once she finally leaves the hospital.

We have no idea what to expect both medically and financially. For many of you in Ann’s wider circles or as her clients and countless friends, this is our first public speaking out of the terrifying health events of the last week-- and may be the first you hear of this so far. We feel your deep pain and shell shock with this news-- and thank you for your good energies and prayers from all over the world. Especially we thank you from the bottom of our hearts for reading this update post, and for loving this incredible woman for all she has given, as well as all that she still has left to live. We’ve just got to get there. She will get through this, because she is the strongest woman anyone could know.

Through this GoFundMe and with the initial funds raised, we hope to cover any further unforeseen medical expenses/medical devices or accessibility options that may be uncovered, continue to cover Ann’s personal bills, take care of her beloved pup (my little furry brother) Cooper in her stead, and try keep her life outside the hospital running however we can while she is unable to move or speak. This will also help us as we navigate my potential job changes to accommodate for my mom’s now necessary full time care. Mostly, we hope to help prepare for a comfortable new home and routine for Ann.

This financial goal number may change as life runs its course and we learn more about what we’re looking at in the long term, but we plan on updating those who love her as much as we can along the way here on this platform as we lift her up together.

We love our girl, Ann is everyone’s girl, she’s the most important person in my life, and we thank you for your much needed help her continue to fight-- and to make her life even more beautiful going forward.

-Alyssa Rojas