Hello friends,

Our beloved Zuzia had an ischemic stroke of the spinal cord in Poland three days before going home to New Orleans. These kinds of strokes are rare and dangerous. Spinal strokes account for just 0.3-1% of all strokes. Luckily, she was rushed to the hospital and her mother was with her.

At the time of the stroke Zuzia was in fear for her life and in excruciating pain. She remains in the hospital. She was recently moved from the intensive care unit to neurology where doctors are running more tests to learn what caused the stroke. Zuzia's left side was paralyzed from her neck to her toes. With relief, she has gained some movement and sensation back, especially in her upper body, but her bladder is still not working. It is not clear yet whether she will be able to fully function in the future. This is where all of our good thoughts can be sent to help her come through with complete healing.

Zuzia is in good spirits and her brain and humor are radiant and brilliant. Happily, she is surrounded by her family and in touch with her friends.

As you all know, Zuzia is fiercely independent and extraordinarily generous. She is such an active loving person in our community, and for now she is in need of our support. How could she know this was going to happen? Who the fuck would think this could happen to a 36 year old vital person? So, it is no surprise that she does not have the funds it takes to manage this terrible situation that literally came out of nowhere.

The funds that you share, no matter the amount, will go towards her physical therapy, some medical bills, and sustaining her life left in New Orleans (care for her dog Cookie, and two cats, Stanisław and Arthur) until she is back. They will also help with other expenses that she cannot meet at this time.

She is still in shock and there is much that is unknown right now. But what we do know is we want her to have ease and as much care as possible so she can come back to her full self without any fear of losing her life in New Orleans.

Zuzia is extremely grateful for any support and hopes to personally hug you when she is back. It is a rare and terribly painful condition that has temporarily disabled a rare and magical being in our community.

We hope to raise at least $17,500 so Zuzia will not have to worry about rent or bills for the next 4-5 months and can cover the other expenses mentioned above.

From Zuzia and her support network, we deeply appreciate your care at this very sensitive time! Big thanks!