In the early morning hours of Memorial Day, my bubbly, sweet, and kind aunt Janine was asleep in bed next to her husband, Chad, when their dog suddenly woke him up. Moments later, Janine fell from the bed and began having a seizure on the floor. She was rushed to a local hospital and then med flighted to Boston Medical Center for emergency surgery.

They discovered that Janine had suffered a brain bleed caused by something called an AVM, which is a tangle of blood vessels in the brain that can rupture with no warning. Unfortunately, hers ruptured.

She was rushed into emergency brain surgery, where surgeons had to remove half of her skull to remove the blood and (most of) the AVM. They were not sure if she would survive the surgery.

Thankfully, she is still with us. But this is a long and uncertain road. She has been in different facilities for 3 months now. She is fighting everyday to relearn how to function. 

Eventually she will need another major surgery to replace the skull plate and remove the remaining parts of the AVM. After this, it is likely that she could continue to have significant delays in speech and motor function, and she will not be able to return to work.

Throughout all of this, her husband Chad and her sister (my mom), Amy, have been by her side every step of the way. They’re traveling daily to support Janine and be there through the uncertainty and the fear.

But the costs wile pile up.

Insurance is not cooperating. Income is being lost and the financial strain is immense.

We’re asking for help to ease some of this financial burden so Chad and Amy can focus on what matters most: being there for Janine as she fights & continues the long process of recovery.

Every donation will go toward bills, transportation, food, and other essentials that are adding immediate strain to this already unimaginable situation. On top of that, this injury is so serious that funds will be needed for her direct care as well. Any amount helps and means the absolute world to our family.

Thank you ❤️‍