Help Mom's Post-Stroke Recovery

Hi friends, Martha fans and other kind strangers,

My name is Lauren and I'm initiating a fundraiser for my mom Martha Gotwals.

On September 4th, I came home to find my mom on the floor of her apartment, unable to move or speak. After rushing to the ER, we discovered that mom had suffered a very large ischemic stroke and would need an emergency thrombectomy. Despite having recently put cancer behind us, this was hands down the scariest moment I've experienced.

Thankfully, the thrombectomy was successful and mom migrated from a month in Bellevue's stroke ward to the Gouverneur subacute rehab where she's been recovering for the past four months - and is stationed now. In good news, her voice is back and she's still very much held onto her sassy spirit, her smarts and her long-term memory, which remains super sharp. In tough news, the more physical effects of the stroke have left mom currently wheelchair-bound due to hemiplegia (inability to move her left arm and leg) and with left visual neglect (causing difficulties with reading, communications, generally registering stuff on the left). We are hoping for the best with time and continued rehab, but also realistic about a long road ahead.

While mom's Medicare managed to make a decent chunk of her stay manageable, we are now officially paying out of pocket to the tune of $750/day. The hope is to get her home ASAP, but we've needed to hold her at the facility until the wheelchair-friendly updates to her apartment are finished - and until I ensure we've got a full-time caregiver lined up for the month or so it will take until her new Medicaid coverage hopefully kicks in and takes some heat off her long-term care costs.

This leads me to the money of it all. I had 1000% hoped to handle things privately and avoid asking for wider help, though as mom's transition home approaches, the financial realities have gotten increasingly overwhelming between the facility ($750/day), home care ($300-550/day), apartment renovations ($40,000) and ongoing physical and occupational therapy (tbd). As her only child, it's been a lot of plates spinning and a lot of rapid-fire expenses.

Those who know my mom know that she's one of the most ferociously warm, caring and supremely independent people. This has been a life-changer for both of us, but the goal is to do everything in my power to bring her home, take care of her and help her reclaim all the life she can. Any and everything you feel moved to share means the complete world. Also, if you're game to circulate amongst your social circles and help me get the world out, that would also mean a ton.

Thank you so much, everyone.

Love,

Lauren