Help Us Stay By Our Mom’s Side After Brain Aneurysm & Emergency Surgery

On Sunday, August 31st, our lives changed in an instant. Our mother, Kim Ervin-Martinez, suddenly collapsed with what turned out to be a massive brain bleed caused by a ruptured aneurysm. She was rushed to our local hospital, but the situation was beyond their expertise, so she was immediately flown to UCSF’s specialized neurological ICU for emergency neurosurgery — one of the most dangerous procedures there is — to stop the bleeding and save her life.

Miraculously, she survived.

Since then, she’s been fighting hard to recover, and we’ve seen encouraging signs: she’s awake, saying a few words, recognizing us, and slowly coming back to herself. Every little moment — hearing her say her name, making eye contact, and responding to familiar voices — feels like a small miracle. She’s making progress every day in UCSF’s neurological ICU, and we’re hopeful for continued improvement.

Although she isn’t fully responding to commands yet, she is showing encouraging signs each day. She still has a long road ahead, with therapy and care needed as she gradually regains her abilities. Being with our mom not only provides emotional support, but also helps stimulate her brain and encourage progress as she recovers during this critical time.

Why We’re Asking for Help

We are four daughters, and we’re doing everything we can to stay close to her while she heals in a hospital several hours from home.

We’ve been taking turns traveling, staying in hotels, living off food we can afford on the road, and juggling work, life, and grief — all while managing the emotional toll of seeing our mom like this.

We expect our mom’s recovery to take several weeks, requiring multiple trips and extended stays to be by her side. She’s making progress every day, but she still needs close monitoring and care during this critical recovery period. Each day we’re at the hospital helps her recovery, but it requires ongoing travel and presence, which adds financial strain.

So many people have asked, “How can we help?”

This is how.

We’re asking for support to help with:

    •    Hotel stays

    •    Travel, gas costs and parking fees

    •   Meals while we’re away from home

    •    Basic needs so we can keep showing up for her

Anything you give — even just $5 — will help us stay close to her during this critical recovery time.

️ Our Hope

Our mom is strong. She’s a fighter. And she’s giving us every reason to believe she’ll come through this.

Being with her, hearing her recognize us, and helping her through each step is the most important part of her recovery.

But she shouldn’t have to do it alone — and we can’t let financial strain pull us away from being by her side.

Please consider helping us stay with her.

If you can’t donate, sharing this page or sending a prayer or kind word means more than you know.

From the bottom of our hearts, thank you.

– Lisa, Amanda, Brianne, and Trina