Hello, my name is Kelly Tomhave, Kristin Christie’s twin sister.

Kristin is a wife, mother, grandmother, sister, friend, and second-grade teacher at David’s Star Lutheran School in Jackson, Wisconsin. On July 31, 2026, Kristin went into the hospital expecting robotic heart surgery and a relatively short recovery. Instead, her whole life changed significantly.

In mid-July, while on vacation in MN with our extended family, Kristin began having difficulty breathing. An emergency-room visit revealed symptoms of congestive heart failure, with fluid backing up into her lungs. An echocardiogram soon revealed the cause: her mitral valve had suddenly failed, allowing blood to flow backward through her heart.

Doctors scheduled robotic mitral-valve repair surgery for July 31 at Aurora Medical Center in Grafton. The heart surgery itself appeared to go very well, and Kristin’s valve was successfully repaired.

But Kristin did not wake up as expected after the surgery.

As the hours turned into days, our family waited for some sign—a flicker of an eye, a movement of a hand, anything. Eventually, testing showed that Kristin’s brain had suffered a hypoxic injury due to a period of inadequate oxygen. The resulting neurological damage produced stroke-like effects on movement, vision, attention, coordination, and awareness of the left side of her body. After several days of waiting, Kristin – slowly – began coming back to us.

She opened her eyes. She stuck out her tongue on command. She recognized family members. She remembered prayers, Bible passages, hymn stanzas, names, and stories. As her breathing improved, she was eventually able to be weaned from the ventilator and later have her tracheostomy removed. Then movement slowly began to return.

After 37 days in the ICU at Grafton, Kristin was transferred by ambulance on September 3 to Shirley Ryan AbilityLab in Chicago, a nationally recognized rehabilitation hospital specializing in complex neurological recovery.

Since arriving there, Kristin has continued to make remarkable progress.

Her days are filled with intensive physical, occupational, and speech therapy. She is relearning everyday tasks most of us never stop to think about: sitting up, combing her hair, putting on her glasses, using her fingers, coordinating her hands, standing, reading an entire page, and directing her attention to the left side of her world. Kristin is working hard, spending three to four hours on rehabilitation each day. Her lead physician recently described her progress during her first week at Shirley Ryan as “impressive.”

At the same time, Kristin still has a long road ahead. Much rehabilitation remains in her future. What we do know is that Kristin has already come a long way since the night of her surgery.

We are profoundly thankful for the friends, relatives, coworkers, teachers, pastors, congregations, and countless others who have prayed, visited, sent messages and devotions, brought meals, sat at Kristin’s bedside, encouraged Aaron and their family, and reminded all of us that we are not alone. Jesus is with us always!

God has surrounded Kristin with an amazing support network. Many of those people have asked, “How can we help further?” That is why I am starting this GoFundMe for my sister and her family.

Kristin’s heart valve has been repaired, but recovering from her brain injury will likely require months and potentially years of rehabilitation, medical care, equipment, assistance, and adaptation. Some of those needs are already clear. Others will become apparent only as Kristin progresses through rehabilitation and prepares to return home.

Funds raised will help with expenses that may include:

• Insurance deductibles, coinsurance, copays, and other out-of-pocket medical expenses from Kristin’s prolonged hospitalization and rehabilitation.

• Costs associated with Kristin’s stay at Shirley Ryan AbilityLab, including keeping family near her during inpatient rehabilitation.

• Future travel to rehabilitation for follow-up care.

• Mobility and rehabilitation equipment not covered by insurance.

• Potential accessibility modifications to Aaron and Kristin’s home or vehicle.

• Home health care or other caregiving support that may be needed when Kristin returns home.

• Lost income as Kristin spends the current school year working on rehabilitation.

• Other rehabilitation, accessibility, caregiving, and medical needs that cannot yet be predicted.

If you can contribute financially, thank you. If you can share Kristin’s story with others, thank you. And for your continued prayers for Kristin, thank you!

Please pray that Kristin’s brain continues to heal and adapt. Pray for greater movement and coordination in her arms and legs. Pray for her vision and spatial awareness. Pray for endurance through hours of difficult therapy. Pray for patience amid frustrations and setbacks. Pray for Aaron, their children, grandchildren, and everyone helping care for her. And pray that Kristin continues to see how far the Lord has already brought her: A month ago, she was critically ill. Today, she is undergoing a rigorous therapy program!

The Lord’s promises are precious to Kristin. On the morning of her surgery, Aaron and their son Peter shared this verse with her: “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. For I am the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior” (Isaiah 43:1–3). The Lord’s promises are true!

With gratitude,

Kelly Tomhave