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You know her... you love her... the fabulous diva of the foothills... the Queen of Coloma... the caretaker of all... Suzi Milligan.
Well, she needs a little help from her community.
Hi. My name is Joelle Robertson, and I am Suzi's niece and am helping raise funds for her care after she suffered a stroke at the end of September 2025.
For those who have been following Suzi's story or have had a chance to visit her, you'll know her road to recovery has been INCREDIBLE. As of the beginning of December, she has already regained her ability to speak and can carry on full conversations with people, her memory is beginning to return, AND the right side of her currently immobilized body has regained feeling and is starting to see movement... she is already taking literal steps with her physical therapy! Whether it be because of her background in nursing, her sheer determination, or the fact that she is stubborn as hell, Suzi is putting up the fight of her life to show this stroke who's boss.
With all of that success though, there is still a long and expensive road ahead of us. We have a series of complicated money tangles in the very near future:
- Suzi fortunately has health insurance that can cover in-home care... unfortunately though, for anyone who has been to Suzi's house, you know that it is not ADA accessible. James, her brother and my dad (thank God), has been in construction his entire career and will be able to update this with relative time & cost efficiency, but it will still take time and money.
- In the meantime, Suzi will be transferring very soon from her current rehab hospital to a care home with the intention to have a short-term stay and a focus on continuing her rehabilitation. Unfortunately, her insurance DOES NOT cover staying at a care home and will probably run around $5,000 per month out of pocket. (Collective heavy sigh and eye roll at the state of our country's health care system.)
Both of these costs WILL HAVE TO happen in order to successfully transition Suzi through her recovery and then into her new upgraded/retrofitted home. And that's where all you lovely people come in!
I know times are hard right now... I know it's the holidays... but anything that you can contribute will absolutely help. Suzi doesn't have any dependents, so it's really a community effort that is lifting up this incredible human right now.
If you've ever had the pleasure of sharing the stage with her and felt completely taken care of as a scene partner....
If you've ever been welcomed into her home and treated to one of her fabulous meals or riotous parties....
If you've ever just gotten to stand in the warmth of her caring smile, her incredible wit, or her joyous belly laugh...
...You know Suzi, and you know she is the definition of community.
And fun fact - it's her 70th birthday on December 29th!
Help us make it one to remember! And thank you!
Organizer
