Paty Villanueva's Brain Aneurysm Surgery

This is my aunt, Ana Patricia Coto Villanueva. She traveled from Honduras to New Jersey to attend her nephew's wedding in late August. On the morning of the wedding, she awoke with a seizure in our guest room. Testing in the ER revealed multiple brain aneurysms gone previously unnoticed.

She was quickly transferred to the Neuro ICU at Overlook where Dr. Saphier was waiting to explain the next steps. She underwent a procedure to "coil" the one large aneurysm (1.8 cm, see photo).

After her recovery in our home, she returned to Central America. We are thankful that she has found a well-trained and capable surgeon in El Salvador to treat the remaining aneurysms. The medical bills have been drastically discounted and the remaining balance is $25,000.

My aunt Paty is a beloved servant of God, her family, and her community. She founded the Hearts for Honduras School to educate the poorest children in her hometown, and still directs the school 22 years later. She has touched countless lives through her humble, faithful service, and we want to allow her to see what God has planned for her future.

We have seen the Lord's hand in this entire process, and He reminds us that "neither life nor death...nor things present nor things to come...will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 8:38-39)