Cindy's Road To Recovery

Hello Family and friends,

As most of you know Our beautiful Cindy and my beloved younger sister suffered two ruptured brain aneurysms on August 6th of this year, a hemorrhagic stroke a few days later, and has had to endure 7 brain surgeries to save her life. After several more procedures and a 35 day stay in ICU mostly sedated, Cindy was moved to a step-down unit where she continued her recovery.

As of September 12, she was transferred to Gaylord Hospital to continue to heal. Being ranked among one of the top 20 facilities in the country for this type of care, there was no doubt that this is where she needed to be. Cindy went in barely responsive and not very alert. Over the weeks that have passed, she has made wonderful progress. Slow, but wonderful. The plan was for her to be moved to a step-down skilled nursing rehab facility to further her recovery. However, their insurance carrier decided that she was well enough to go home on 10/26/2023 with no further care. We’ve been fighting for her to stay daily, but to no avail. Cindy has a long road ahead of her. She still struggles with simple tasks that we all take for granted. She cannot walk unassisted for more than a few steps and needs a waist belt that someone needs to hold so she does not fall, she cannot find the proper words to explain feelings or emotions. Her vision is impaired. She is unable to perform simple hygiene tasks on her own. She still needs a lot of medical attention as she still has a feeding tube in place, daily PT and speech therapy, and so much more, that we can’t give her at home. It would be detrimental to her recovery and progress if forced to go home at this point. Gaylord Hospital has been advocating for Cindy. Fighting very hard to keep her care going. Whether it be at their facility or at another. Even if she is forced to go home, she will need round the clock care. With all of that said and until (if at all) this is resolved with insurance, her loving devoted husband will have to bear the brunt of the cost of staying where she is or anywhere else she needs to go. As you can imagine the financial aspect will be impossible to bear. Joe and Cindy are at risk of losing everything they have both worked so hard for their entire lives. Joe has visited her every one of the 79 days she has not been home.

Joe and Cindy have an everlasting crazy kind of love that many would give anything to experience! It is true love. We love them both and want what’s best for Cindy’s recovery. Even though there is nothing that we want more than to have Cindy home, at this point it is simply UNSAFE for her to be there. Cindy needs a lot of around the clock care and equipment that will not be covered by Anthem BC/BS. The cost for 7-hour daily shift/5 days a week, is approximately $1200, just so that Joe can at least go to work.

Please consider donating to this great cause. We know times are tough for everyone, but any amount will help the family.

Thank you,

Maria Alvarado

On Behalf of the whole family and Especially from Joe and Cindy, we thank you for your support.