Support Patricia Fischetto's Essential Care

Nobody imagines themselves or their families ever having to be on this side of a gofundme campaign, so this is no easy ask.

A letter on behalf of the Fischetto Family:

Patricia Fischetto, life-long Hoboken resident, retired city employee, and most importantly, a loved wife, mother, and grandmother, recently suffered a stroke and had her life turned upside down.

Pat was recently diagnosed with Dural Arteriovenous Fistulas (DAVFs) — a rare condition that occurs when arteries and veins abnormally connect. To correct the DAVFs that were present in her neck area, her doctor highly recommended a cerebral angiogram procedure that came with a 0.5% chance of her suffering from a stroke. When she woke up from her procedure on April 9th, 2024, Pat was paralyzed and could not move her body or speak. It was very clear to her family that Pats suffered a stroke and it was confirmed the next day with an MRI that Pat suffered an ischemic stroke of the spinal cord.

Pat spent 9 days in the Hackensack Surgical ICU and was then transferred to Kessler Rehabilitation where she got a little less than 4 weeks of intense physical and occupational therapy. Thankfully, her speech went back to normal soon after the procedure and she was never affected cognitively but physically, she is wheelchair bound and completely dependent on others to care for her. She was released from rehab solely because of insurance — not because she is by any means ready to be home. Before discharge, it was suggested to Pat and Pete to hire a private home care company to help out at home.

A company was presented to them while at Kessler, however, Peter had to decline because of the astronomical cost that was simply not possible and had to face with the realization that he would now be Pat’s full time caretaker. Pete was forced to retire from his job and trained with professionals at Kessler to learn how to care for a stroke patient full time. Fast forward to the first couple of days Pat was home, the family realized this was far too much for Pete to take on, even with the help of family. Medicare covers 1 hour a week of nurse care, physical therapy, and occupational therapy which is not nearly enough professional help, especially with Pete being 73 years old facing his own health issues. The money from this fundraiser will go towards 2 things:

1. home health care for Pat (a professional who comes in every day to help with Pat’s hygiene, get her in and out of bed and into her wheelchair safely, handle her medications, change her, clean and cook, and whatever else is needed day to day)

2. a medication that is crucial to her health and not covered by insurance. this medication treats and prevents blood clots that can block blood vessels in the body. the out of pocket cost of this medication is $400 per month.

Anyone who knows the Fischetto family knows how close they are and can imagine how heart wrenching the last month has been. Any amount donated is so deeply appreciated so Patricia can get the care she needs so she is able to get better and start living her life again.