Isabel Garcia’s Emergency Medical Help

Hi all! We are seeking your help in beginning to support our family during this medical emergency. Having been in Charlotte when this happened, all emergency transport, testing, and care has been done outside of insurance network. Any little bit will help my dad and our family begin recovering!

Over the weekend, my mom began complaining of numbness down the

right side of her body. As Andrea took her to urgent care my mom quickly began getting worse, and was unable to form words. My sister made the quick decision to call 911 and get her transported immediately to the nearest hospital. We are immensely thankful for Andrea’s quick decision making, as the immediate care likely saved my mom from any further damage.

The following 12 hours were scary as Mom went in and out of testing. Unfortunately during this time my mom had a seizure which we later found out was due to the swelling that was occurring. A CT ruled out a stroke but found some spots in her brain that needed to further be looked at. Additional scans discovered some lesions in her head which gave us a possible plan of action. During her time in the ER, Mom suffered a non related fall resulting in four stitches and a gnarly black eye. Aside from the black and blue, Isabel still appears to be in great physical condition. Of course all of the nurses complimented her mani, pedi, and fancy shoes she had been wearing.

After 20 hours in the emergency room, my mom was transferred to Carolina’s Medical Center, a hospital in Charlotte with a neurology department.

Sunday and Monday were spent running more tests to ensure the lesions hadn’t metastasized to anywhere else in her body. Those tests came back clear and the decision was made to send my mom into brain surgery to have the lesions on her brain removed.

On Tuesday afternoon, my mom went into surgery where the CMC Neurosurgeon Team performed a Left Sided Craniotomy in order to remove whatever parts of the mass they were able to reach. Due to the location, they were expecting my mom

to come out of surgery with possible loss in speech or mobility.

Now as you know, Isabel is a stubborn little lady. She gets her way no matter what. And of all times for this to show, she shined on surgery day. Within hours of surgery my mom was already having full conversations. She woke up and was immediately conscious of who we were, where she was, and what was happening around her.

During our post surgery meeting with the surgeon he did indicate that the mass is likely cancerous and our next step is pathology and oncology to discuss treatment plans. The C-Word is a big scary word. We aren’t sure what happens next but we know my mom is going to come out swinging. That stubborn, get up and go, feisty Isabel that we all know is going to absolutely destroy what comes her way.

The Garcia’s would love to thank you for your help, your donations, and your kind words throughout this time. Her team in Charlotte is who we will continue to work with until further notice. We are allowing Mom to read all of her texts. Feel free to reach out and send her a note or a video message. All updates on her journey will be made through Caring Bridge.

https://www.caringbridge.org/visit/isabelgarcia