Join Us in Supporting Andrea's Healing

**11/1/24 Update**

Thank you to everyone that has donated recently! Andrea is making progress with siting, standing, and transitioning which are skills needed for her return to the U.S. Her spirits are good and she is anxious to see her grandsons again, soon. Due to everyone's generosity, her rehab and necessary medical supplies have been paid in full for the month. The family is working to get her back to the states as soon as possible where she can receive the full therapeutic care she requires to regain function on the left side of her body. Future donations will help us achieve that, as that will be the most expensive part of her journey back to recovery.

Again, if you have donated, THANK YOU! If you would be willing to share the page, THANK YOU! A major stroke is no small medical complication. Having one in a foreign country is a nightmare no one expects. Having to reach out to extended family, friends and friends of friends is a humbling experience. Andrea expresses her appreciation and gratitude to each of you. Help us get her back to the states to the family and care she requires.

Sincerely, Mariann and Sheldon Primus, on behalf of the entire Primus and Perez family

Sincerely, Mariann and Sheldon Primus on behalf of the entire Primus and Perez family

**10/16/24 Update**

Hello everyone! I just wanted to pop in real quick to do a mini-update and say a more complete update is coming soon. We've had stomach virus on our end that has slowed us down, so I apologize for being lax in the Thank-You's and updates this week. The newest donations this last week are greatly appreciated!

Andrea has made some great progress in therapy this week and I will do an update on that with pics in a couple days. I will also be lowering the fundraising goal with the next update. We are waiting for some final estimates that will enable us to post a more realistic (and lower) goal, now that we know the extent of her needs and expenses. Donations are still most definitely needed, so if you have not donated and are able and willing please consider donating. No amount is too small. When we made the original goal, we did not know what the expenses and needs were going to be. Sharing this fundraiser is also a great way to help, especially with a personal note of why it is important to you.

If you have donated, please be assured that every penny of your donation, once processed, has been immediately sent to the medical facilities and we are so very grateful that her hospital bill and 85% of her rehab has been paid at this point in time.

Look for another update very soon!

Sincerely,

Mariann and Sheldon Primus, on behalf of the Primus and Perez family

**10/8/24 Update**

Hello everyone! I am excited to update you on Andrea's progress thus far. She was relocated to a rehab/nursing facility on the island of Ko Samui, Thailand last week. Her siblings have been able to video chat with her nearly every evening this last week, which has been a blessing. She is getting daily physical therapy to regain functional movement of her arms and legs. She has been working very hard on sitting upright for an hour, a required skill to be able to fly back to the US. She has expressed that it is difficult but she is motivated and determined. She has also been working on fine motor skills, such as grasping for daily living skills such as wiping her face and eating finger foods. I enclosed a couple pictures she had her brother send me of her working very hard. (I think you have to click on "more" on her GFM page then scroll down to the actual updates section to see the pics). These are skills each of us take for granted every single day so yes, her therapy and recovery road will be long and difficult but we are so very proud of her for working on her physical, mental, and emotional healing EVERY SINGLE DAY! GO ANDREA! YOU CAN DO THIS!

Please, continue to pray for Andrea for strength, endurance, and continued healing. Please continue to share her story via this page link and if you haven't all ready, please consider donating. We are still working on the goal for her first month's rehab bill. We are a few hundred short as of today. A huge thank you for each of you that have donated! Your kindness and generosity is helping to fuel her determination and keep her faith alive. Andrea asked me to tell you all, "Thank you so much for helping me!"

With sincere appreciation,

Mariann and Sheldon on behalf of the entire Perez and Primus family

**10/2/2024 Update**

Thank you everyone that helped us reach $2,000 USD for Andrea's Healing Journey! Her hospital bill up to this point has been paid! Each and everyone of you that shared and contributed has made this happen.

All updates post at the bottom of the GFM dashboard so I am updating the original post with new updates so everyone can see them front and center. :-)

As you can see from the updated pic, she is more alert and able to sit more upright with support. She enjoys seeing and hearing from family and friends, especially video chatting with her three grandsons in the US. Our daughter (in the pic) was traveling through Thailand and was able to visit with her this week. Plans for rehab therapy are in the works.

Please know Andrea is drawing strength from everyone who is sharing, checking in on her progress via family, and praying for her. Please please please keep it up! Our next monetary goal is $1500 USD to start rehab therapy. Let's make this happen for her!

- Sincerely, Mariann on behalf of the entire Primus and Perez Family

**9/30/24 Update**

Hello everyone! First of all, we want to offer a sincere Thank You to everyone who shared Andrea's story on Facebook, IG, and any other format or circle you may have connections to, and of course a Huge Thank You to everyone who donated this past week. As of today, $1,390 USD has been raised and all of it is on the way to pay for her first week of care in the hospital.

Many of you have reached out asking about Andrea's progress. Thank you for your patience as we navigate time zones and wait for testing results. A repeat MRI has been conducted and showed no bleeding in the brain and reduced swelling of the right side. She is still paralyzed on the left side of her body though she expresses feeling a burning sensation when it is touched. She is able to communicate some with her family, which we are very grateful for. We would love to share pictures of her and her progress but due to privacy issues and shared space, pictures are hard to get at this time.

She is in a small hospital on the island where they have been living this past year, Ko Samui, Thailand. The doctors and staff have been kind and accommodating but keep in mind it is a small island hospital so resources are limited. It is expected that she will be released sometime this week. Arrangements for rehab are being sought after ASAP, to help her on her healing journey. This is our next monetary goal.

If you have not yet shared, please do. It doesn't have to be on Facebook. Her brother, Sheldon, has been sharing on all his socials and on his weekly podcast. The more creative we can be, the more we can help her. As I had stated in the original post, she was a nurse her entire working career, as was her mother. She has been generous in caring for others her whole 58 years. Let's work together to help her regain as much mobility and independence as she can and get her back to that vibrant Andrea we all know and love.

Thank you again!

Mariann Primus, on behalf of the whole Primus and Perez Family

**Original Post**

Hello family and friends. My name is Mariann Primus, sister-in-law of Andrea Primus Perez. On Monday afternoon, September 23rd, 2024, Andrea suffered a massive stroke while in Ko Samui, Thailand with her family. She is currently in the hospital undergoing further testing and observation for brain swelling, but at this point, her gross motor, fine motor, speech, and independent living skills are devastatingly affected. The left side of her brain has suffered considerable damage. Andrea has begun to be able to verbalize a little and states burning sensations upon touch to the right side of her body but is unable to move and is completely dependent for care, at this point. As we get more information, I will update on her progress.

Just over a year ago, Andrea and her family decided to relocate to Thailand to be near her brother Ken and some of her nephews and niece to make a fresh start following the loss of both of her parents. Andrea has spent her life nurturing and caring for others as a nurse, mother of two, was actively involved in her children's high school activities of track and football, and served as band mom/nurse. She is now a proud grandmother of three. Andrea was a dedicated daughter, serving as a part-time caretaker, along with her siblings, for their mother for several years. Following the death of her mother, she took on the role of primary caretaker for her father during the last few years of his life.

This time in Thailand was to be a time of regrouping and spiritual and mental healing. Andrea is 58 years old and now her life is forever changed as she faces a very long and difficult road of healing and rehabilitation with mounting medical bills. Due to existing health issues, she has been unable to work, so the brunt of the expenses for her current and future treatment is falling on her son and siblings.

Andrea is the fourth of five siblings. If you know this family, you know they were raised by strong Christian parents. Their father, Kenrick Primus, became a minister in his sixties and went on, with their mother Yvonne, to become missionaries in the Philippines for several years. Several of their children, Andrea included, were involved in multiple mission trips around the world in their teens and as adults. Andrea did a mission trip to Jamaica as a teen and then returned years later as a nurse volunteer along with her mother.

This is a family that has given of themselves for most of their lives and is now in desperate need of the help of others. If you are able to donate anything to help toward Andrea's impending medical bills and rehabilitation, on behalf of her sons and family, we would be immensely grateful. Please share this post as much as you can to help Andrea on the road toward recovery and ease the family's financial burden so they can be strong for her physically and emotionally. As her sister-in-law, I am deeply grateful for each of you that read this and feel called to share or donate to help the family.