Cheryl’s Stroke Support
Donation protected
Sometimes, bad things happen to good people. In the Schillers, case, it’s happened more than once. After Craig beat cancer in 2014 we would have thought they met their quota. Cheryl’s stroke has impacted their lives once again. Their friends are desperate to help in any way because we love them so much! Please read Craig’s message and consider donating whatever you can. Thank you so much!
Life really can change in an instant. When an aneurism bursts in your brain, the blood vessels that supply life-giving oxygen detect the blood surrounding them and clamp down. They do this to reduce blood loss, but the consequence is downstream tissue death.
Cheryl’s day off from work on Thursday, June 27th started out as a fun day. It was the day she spent with her Mother at the “Downton Abbey” exhibition at The Castle in Boston. When Phyllis dropped Cheryl off at home in the early afternoon, she had no way of knowing that being alone would be life threatening to her beloved daughter.
Succumbing to the burst 17mm aneurism, Cheryl’s collapse was immediate. The truly amazing thing was that she regained consciousness at all. Cheryl remembers struggling to crawl to her cell phone, trying 5 times to dial 911. Cheryl was taken to Lahey Clinic by ambulance. After an agonizing hour-long wait, she was med-flighted to TuftsTufts Medical Center , where the neurosurgical team there bored a hole in her skull to relieve pressure and deployed 21 platinum coils in the aneurism to prevent further bleeding. Neuro ICU brought her back from the brink. From doctor, to nurse, to nurse’s aide, those people are amazing!
Cheryl has been a true Rockstar patient ever since. She fought off infection in the hospital and her sense of humor shone through even with tubes in her nose and mouth and a drain in her skull. She continued to battle in rehab (even though she protested in her best Amy Winehouse impression that she “Ain’tGonna Go!”). https://spauldingrehab.org/locations/spaulding-rehabilitation-hospital/ Spaulding Rehab did wonders for her.
Cheryl continues to battle. Her main Goal is to get her life back. Her Spaulding Rehab occupational therapy, physical therapy, and speech therapy have brought her a long way. She’s walking with the help of a brace and a cane. She has good days and bad days, like the rest of us.
We are blessed to have good medical and disability insurance, but we still owe for medical bills, and with high co-pays, high out-of-pocket expense caps, and substantially lower income, we are struggling with trying to pay for all this.
Life really can change in an instant. When an aneurism bursts in your brain, the blood vessels that supply life-giving oxygen detect the blood surrounding them and clamp down. They do this to reduce blood loss, but the consequence is downstream tissue death.
Cheryl’s day off from work on Thursday, June 27th started out as a fun day. It was the day she spent with her Mother at the “Downton Abbey” exhibition at The Castle in Boston. When Phyllis dropped Cheryl off at home in the early afternoon, she had no way of knowing that being alone would be life threatening to her beloved daughter.
Succumbing to the burst 17mm aneurism, Cheryl’s collapse was immediate. The truly amazing thing was that she regained consciousness at all. Cheryl remembers struggling to crawl to her cell phone, trying 5 times to dial 911. Cheryl was taken to Lahey Clinic by ambulance. After an agonizing hour-long wait, she was med-flighted to TuftsTufts Medical Center , where the neurosurgical team there bored a hole in her skull to relieve pressure and deployed 21 platinum coils in the aneurism to prevent further bleeding. Neuro ICU brought her back from the brink. From doctor, to nurse, to nurse’s aide, those people are amazing!
Cheryl has been a true Rockstar patient ever since. She fought off infection in the hospital and her sense of humor shone through even with tubes in her nose and mouth and a drain in her skull. She continued to battle in rehab (even though she protested in her best Amy Winehouse impression that she “Ain’tGonna Go!”). https://spauldingrehab.org/locations/spaulding-rehabilitation-hospital/ Spaulding Rehab did wonders for her.
Cheryl continues to battle. Her main Goal is to get her life back. Her Spaulding Rehab occupational therapy, physical therapy, and speech therapy have brought her a long way. She’s walking with the help of a brace and a cane. She has good days and bad days, like the rest of us.
We are blessed to have good medical and disability insurance, but we still owe for medical bills, and with high co-pays, high out-of-pocket expense caps, and substantially lower income, we are struggling with trying to pay for all this.
Fundraising team (3)
Carol Cunningham
Organizer
Arlington, MA
Craig Schiller
Beneficiary
Ann Marie Abbott
Team member