Emily Stanislaus's Recovery Journey

About three weeks ago, our family and friends were forced to face the unthinkable. An accident that would change our lives forever, and the reason we are asking for your help today.

Emily and her tribe of loved ones went to visit family and vacation in Mexico before she and her partner Cristina started IVF to add to their already beautiful family. While in Mexico, Emily suffered a terrible fall. One of those moments we all have and say — whoops! Except for this slip of a hand was different from the one you or I have had and left Emily falling 15 feet backwards onto the stairs below. One moment laughing with family and friends, and in the next, our lives have changed forever. Emily suffered a complete T12 spinal injury causing paralysis from the waist down. She remained conscious and aware of the situation for over 4 hours while the paramedics moved her to safety. She had incredible care and endured 8 hours of spinal surgery. After recovering for 10 nights in Mexico, she was transferred to the Shepherd Center in Atlanta via air ambulance.

We are so fortunate that Emily was accepted to the Shepherd Center and her insurance has been an incredible resource in covering many of the initial costs. However, even with much of the medical expenses covered, there is still an unpredictable financial burden ahead. Given her paralysis, Emily will need to purchase a wheelchair, adapt her home, her car, as well as pursue therapies, additional medical treatment and hopefully a clinical trial.

Considering the exhaustive list of changes that need to happen, Emily’s family and friends are setting up this page to help ease that burden while she focuses on her road to recovery so that she can live as independently as she did before her injury. She is particularly excited about donating any unused funds to the nonprofit of the Shepherd Center.

How We Can Help

So many of you have reached out to us and Cristina to ask what you can do. Having talked with the Shepherd’s experts, they advise three things for those who want to be helpful:

If you have direct knowledge or a relationship with anyone conducting spinal injury clinical trials, use the contact button below so that we can pursue additional treatments for Emily.

Don’t be a stranger. Checking in with Emily and Cristina is amazing for their morale. They may not always be quick to respond, because they’re absorbing a lot of new information right now, but they are so grateful for all the thoughts, prayers, healing manifestations, etc.

Contribute to this Gofundme. The expenses are piling up, and whatever is raised beyond their need, they’re planning to donate to the Shepherd Center for ongoing spinal cord injury research.

While this is a letter we never imagined having to write, we are so grateful for the outpouring of love and support they have received. They are incredibly fortunate to have such a strong and supportive network. Emily faces a long road ahead but it is a journey that she will never be alone on and that is such a comforting feeling. Thank you so very much for your support.

With deep gratitude and endless love,

Emily’s tribe