Help Support Eleni & Her Family In Time Of Need
My name is Shayna, a previous employee at Dimitri's restaurant in Watertown. I worked there from my senior year of high school in 2013 until I graduated nursing school in 2019 and I couldn't have gotten through it without the help and support from Eleni and Dimitri Ioannou, the owners. When I think of the most selfless, caring, loving people that would literally give the shirts off their backs for anyone, I think of these two. The restaurant business is not easy, and these two work over 70-hour weeks, with only one day off to be able to pay the bills and provide for their families. Even when things got rough and business was slow, they still managed to make donations when teams came in, to the local police department, to clubs from the high school, etc. despite just making it by themselves. This family has become like a second family to me and I am forever grateful I have gotten the chance to know them.
Recently, Eleni has suffered from an unexpected hemorrhagic stroke. An emergency condition in which a ruptured blood vessel causes bleeding inside the brain. She is currently in the intensive care unit at a local hospital. The doctors took Eleni off of sedation last Sunday (7 days ago), and she still has not woken up. The doctors say she has brain waves and believe she just needs more time. Due to the stroke, they are unable to perform surgery and are hopeful that her body will absorb the bleeding within weeks. I, as well as many others, sit here and pray to get a message saying that she is awake again.
On top of this tragic event, Dimitri and Eleni just lost their brother-in-law Billy (Vasos) on Friday night. Dimitri and his family are having a very difficult time with this loss and are trying their best to stay as strong as they can for Eleni.
As many of you know, Dimitri's is closed until further notice. Despite the restaurant being closed, the bills will continue to come in. I am making this go fund me page to raise money for Eleni, Dimitri, and their family. It is time that we give what they have given to so many, back. If you know Eleni, you know that she is a fierce warrior and she WILL conquer this. She has the most amazing and strong family and support system behind her. We are all waiting patiently to see that beautiful bright smile again. If you can help out in any way, even if it is just sharing this page, we can all work together to ease the stress on the family just a little bit! Thank you for your time and generosity! Let us continue to pray.