Theresa Stroeder, cover the costs of medical bills

Dear friends and family,

This is difficult for me to write… I need your help. I am not one who typically asks for help, but we really need support and love from our family and friends now more than ever.

Our Mom, Theresa Stroeder, has suffered a catastrophic brain injury.

On February 1, 2024, Mom was found in her home, unresponsive. The hospital discovered that she had bacterial meningitis. The infection was so severe that she lost consciousness, but she got better after 5 days in the hospital, when she suddenly suffered a complication called cerebral vasculitis. This complication resulted in what doctors described as “equivalent to 7 massive strokes”. They told us she probably wouldn't ever wake up.

But Mom did wake from her coma! The neurologist told us she was the first patient he had ever seen to live through cerebral vasculitis. We have spent the last year and half trying to get her into a brain rehabilitation program. Her brain injury stole her ability to talk and move her body on her own.

I’ve been fighting to get Mom the appropriate care for her rare situation, but even simple things like physical therapy and speech therapy have been seemingly impossible for the hospitals here to provide for her.

Mom had been in 4 different acute care hospitals from Feb 2024- May 2024. After that, she was supposed to go to the ABI (acquired brain injury) program in Hamilton. At the last minute, they cancelled her spot, and told us to look into a long term care facility. A long term care facility would not provide the rehabilitation care she needs in the short term.

Since Mom had limited housing/care options, and was not being given proper therapy (which would be standard of care in the US), we decided to take her back to her home. Amber and I have been providing 24 hour nursing for Mom. We were warned that taking her home may risk her eligibility to enter rehab programs, but we really had no choice but to bring her home to get the care she needs. While at home, we’ve been paying out of pocket for the therapy services she needs to ensure she actually receives therapy. She’s been progressing more at home and actually getting appropriate care.

It took multiple denied applications, but with much help from our physical therapist, we finally were accepted to a program! Mom has regained some movement in her right/dominant arm & has started verbalizing!! She is now eating food again and we were able to get her feeding tube removed last week. This gives us so much hope to keep going!

I live(d) in California with my husband, Tom, and our 2 small children. We immediately threw together a carry-on suitcase and got on the the first flight from San Francisco when I got the call that Mom was sick back on February 1, 2024. We haven’t been back to our home since. To make things even more complicated, Tom regularly flies back and forth for work to California. And I’ve had to get citizenship for my children and register them in school here while we’re living in Mom’s house. My sister, Amber’s life has been greatly disrupted as well, as she lives on Vancouver island. Housing, traveling back and forth, and cost of medical care has taken a toll on our family.

I'm raising money to help cover the costs of Mom's medical bills that are now becoming unmanageable. Our new reality means substantial out-of-pocket costs including home construction modifications for wheelchair accessibility, appropriate vehicle for transport, medical bills -the “ABI program” contacted us last week, after she had been discharged, and told me we are financially responsible for the bill, it was not covered by her insurance.

Please consider giving, any amount helps. Even just sharing this page means the world to us.

With heartfelt appreciation,

The Stroeder - Esposito Family

Simone & Amber