On December 14, 2022 Samantha was admitted to Nebraska Medicine after several weeks of strong headaches. By that same night Samantha had an urgent, unexpected surgery for a ruptured aneurysm. In the days that followed, Samantha had a breathing and feeding tube placed, suffered a stroke, seizures, had a portion of her skull removed to reduce inflammation, and was put into a medically induced coma. All of these procedures carried various risks. She was in a very critical state until the end of the month, with concerns that the continued development of the stroke could put her in a vegetative state.

Fortunately, she persevered and by January 7th was moved out of the ICU where she continued to heal. By February 2nd she was moved to a rehabilitation facility where she is currently receiving physical, occupational, and speech therapy. While she has been working very hard and has continued to progress, Samantha’s healing journey is far from over. She has yet to regain movement in much of her body (with her left side being especially weak due to the impact of the stroke) and is also working to regain her speech. She will need surgery in the coming months to have her skull placed and will need to receive long-term care with adjustments needing to be made to create an accessible living space once she is able to come home. The funds raised will go towards rehabilitation costs, medical equipment, construction to accommodate her living space, and other medical expenses.

Samantha has stayed strong and has been so courageous the past few months and only continues to improve. We ask friends and loved ones to continue to support her continued healing. Anything helps, even if it’s just sharing this fundraiser.