Help My Mom, Ann Recover After a Severe Stroke

hi everyone,

I never thought I’d be saying this, but my mom, Ann Ernst Coletti, suffered a severe stroke caused by a massive hemorrhage in her brain. It happened on June 23rd while she and my dad were on a beach getaway we had gifted them to celebrate his long overdue retirement. What was meant to be a joyful weekend quickly turned into a nightmare that has completely altered the future they had just begun to enjoy.

The first hospital told us to say our goodbyes, that there was nothing more they could do and that she would not survive. But I refused to accept that as the end of her story. I had her airlifted to Christiana Hospital in Delaware, home to one of the best neurocritical care teams on the East Coast. Within hours of arriving, they performed a life saving procedure called an EVD (external ventricular drain) to relieve the pressure in her brain and give her a fighting chance.

She’s been in the ICU ever since, on life support, fighting for her recovery. There have been signs of progress, but we don’t yet know what long term effects this will have or how long her recovery will take. What we do know is that it will require a tremendous amount of love, strength, patience, and support emotionally, physically, and financially.

If you know my mom, you know she is one of the most loving, selfless, and warmhearted people you could ever meet. She would give you the shirt off her back and make sure your belly was full before you left her home. Her kindness touches everyone she meets, and I pray every day that I’ll get to hear her loving, supportive voice again.

We’re doing everything we can to be with her every day, even though the hospital is in Delaware. We’ve been staying in low cost hotels nearby just to stay close, which has added another layer of financial strain.

I started this fundraiser to help cover:

• The cost of a bedside nurse or in home care when she leaves the ICU

• Medical expenses not fully covered by insurance, like rehab, medications, and follow ups

• Home modifications and any equipment to help her live safely and comfortably

• And to ease the financial pressure while we alternate taking time off work to care for Mom

We’re not asking for anything beyond what’s truly needed, only what it takes to make sure she has the support and care she needs to recover with dignity.

If you’re able to donate, thank you from the bottom of our hearts. And if not, we completely understand, just sharing this with others would still go a long way.

Thank you for taking the time to think about my mom and hold her in your heart.