Emily’s story:

On January 29, Emily Schein, a vibrant 44 year-old was found on the floor of her apartment in Chicago partially paralyzed and unable to talk. Before this event, Emily worked full time, was a loving member of an extended family, and the caretaker for two rescue cats.

Emily was taken by paramedics to Ascension Resurrection Hospital, where she was eventually diagnosed with a brain aneurysm and a stroke. While in the ICU, Emily had multiple surgeries, including one to pack the aneurysm with titanium coils, a second to drill a hole in her skull to relieve the pressure and drain fluid from the stroke, and the third to insert a shunt directing the excess fluid from her cranium to be absorbed into her abdomen.

During her stay in the ICU, Emily regained her ability to speak and to move her right arm and leg. At times she was glib and funny. Notice in the following photo taken February 4, that Emily is giving a thumb’s up.

But three weeks later Emily remained paralyzed on her left side and had some visual and cognitive deficits.

She needed the kind of care provided by an acute rehab facility. But because of a provision in her health coverage Emily was rejected by every acute facility that reviewed her file. Illinois Medicaid only pays for acute rehab if the patient is able to participate in at least three hours of rehab per day. And Emily was not yet able to with withstand that.

On February 17, Emily was discharged to Bella Terra Nursing Home in Morton Grove. The facility does not specialize in treatment of neuro-stroke patients. They provide only 15 mins of exercise to bedridden patients twice a week. The only way for Emily to get occupational and physical therapy services at Bella Terra is to hire the OTs and PTs who work at the nursing home. These services cost $75 for 22 minutes or $225 per hour.

The family’s goal is to provide Emily enough private therapy to improve her strength and stamina so that she can eventually tolerate three hours of movement per day and be transferred to an acute rehabilitation facility.

This GO FUND ME account will be used primarily to pay for OT and PT services necessary to achieve this goal. Because it is not clear if or when Emily might be able to return to work, funds may also be used for other expenses related to Emily’s recovery.

Would you be willing to contribute to this GoFundMe account to help pay for Emily’s therapy so she may return to living a full life? Any and all donations are appreciated.

Thank you, very much,

Emily’s Family and Friends on behalf of Emily and her parents Carolyn and David Schein

Stuart Rifkind, David Schein’s friend

Sharon Senk, Emily Schein’s aunt