About Zoe

Zoe is an incredibly thoughtful, bright, funny, and energetic 8-year-old who loves spending time with her family and friends, learning new things, and being active. When Zoe began grade 3 last September, she had just wrapped up summer Spanish lessons and was looking forward to the new school year. Zoe’s competitive spirit shone through while playing rep soccer with the Cherry Beach Soccer Club, girls house league hockey at Leaside Memorial Arena, and in cross country running. Zoe also loved spending time hiking, swimming, downhill skiing, and playing with her 5-year-old brother, Nicholas.

Zoe’s Stroke and Surgeries

Sadly, on November 18th, 2024, Zoe suffered a massive hemorrhagic stroke caused by an arteriovenous malformation (AVM). A brain AVM is an entanglement of blood vessels that creates irregular connections between arteries and veins. When an AVM in the brain ruptures, it causes life threatening bleeding – the massive stroke Zoe experienced.

In order to save Zoe’s life, doctors at Toronto’s Sick Kids Hospital performed emergency decompressive craniectomy surgery, in which a section of her skull was removed to relieve the pressure in her brain and allow it to swell. At this time, Zoe also underwent embolization surgeries to block blood flow and stop the AVM from bleeding into her brain. Zoe was in life threatening condition, intubated, and sedated in the intensive care unit (ICU) for 5 days.

When she awoke from her medically induced coma, it was discovered that the stroke caused flaccid paralysis on the left side of her body. The paralysis left her bedridden, and she was unable to eat or speak. The stroke also caused permanent vision loss and Zoe was diagnosed with homonymous hemianopia.

On December 18th, Zoe was transferred to Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital for intensive inpatient therapy, including speech and language pathology (SLP), physiotherapy (PT) and occupational therapy (OT) in order to re-learn how to swallow, eat, sit, stand, walk, and use her left arm and leg. On March 6th, Zoe was discharged home and continued her intensive day therapy program at the hospital.

On March 26th, the neurosurgery team at Sick Kids Hospital performed another round of life-saving brain surgery on Zoe to remove the AVM. Zoe also underwent another embolization surgery and cranioplasty surgery to put her skull bone back in place. Following this second round of major brain surgery, Zoe (again) completed a course of intensive day therapy at the Kids Rehabilitation Hospital until May 9th.

On May 12th, after nearly 6 months of intense surgeries, therapy, stress, and hospital life, Zoe was able to transition back to school.

Zoe’s Ongoing Recovery

A child’s brain has a greater capacity for stroke recovery than the brain of an adult. At 8 years old, Zoe still has significant neuroplasticity, which allows her brain to form new pathways – giving her a chance to regain the movements that she has lost. However, the first two years following a stroke are a crucial window to maximize recovery and regain functional movements. Ongoing out-patient therapies like PT and OT are essential to maximizing potential recovery and regaining lost functional movements.

Zoe requires intensive outpatient therapy so that she can continue to work on the body movements she needs for everyday life. Zoe requires PT to improve her gross motor skills, balance, strength, and coordination needed so she can learn to walk without an ankle brace, run, swim, and play sports again. She needs OT to work on the fine motor skills used for tasks such as writing and typing. She needs vision therapy to improve how her brain and eyes work together for things like reading, navigation, scanning her environment, and everyday tasks.

When Zoe was discharged from the hospital, therapies covered by OHIP were drastically reduced and underfunded. For children like Zoe to be able to reach their full potential recovery, parents and caregivers are left paying out-of-pocket.

For the foreseeable future, Zoe requires intensive private neurological PT and OT sessions 4 times a week, along with vision therapy. With each PT and OT session costing $200, Zoe’s parents, Meghan and Alberto, are left paying $800 out-of-pocket each week (over $40 000 for the year) so that their daughter can continue to recover from her stroke during this crucial window of time. This cost doesn’t even include the out-of-pocket estimates for Zoe’s vision therapy. Although Meghan and Alberto both have basic private health insurance plans, that money has already been used up, covering less than a week of therapy.

Meghan and Alberto have both taken significant time off from work to be at Zoe’s side during this horrific health crisis and throughout her lengthy recovery. Additionally, Meghan has taken a caregiver leave of absence from work to provide Zoe with support during her many medical appointments, therapy appointments, school transitions, and activities of daily living.

Supporting Zoe

Zoe has miraculously survived a massive stroke, but there is still a long road ahead and the financial costs of Zoe’s post-stroke recovery are enormous. This fundraiser will help the family stay afloat financially while providing Zoe with the medical care she needs.

The fundraiser will help cover the ongoing costs of:

• Intensive neurological physiotherapy

• Occupational therapy

• Vision therapy

• Ankle foot orthotics

• Home modifications for accessibility and safety

• Adapted recreational activities that accommodate Zoe’s medical needs

Zoe should have every opportunity to reach her maximum recovery potential after surviving such a devastating health crisis, but she needs help from the wider community. Whatever care you are able to provide Zoe – whether it’s in the form of sharing a monetary donation, sharing this page on social media and in your social networks, or standing/sitting alongside Zoe in virtual solidarity – it is all very much appreciated.

Thank you so much for your support.

-- Brianne Vescio (family friend), on behalf of Zoe, Meghan, Alberto, and Nicholas