Mia celebrated her 19th birthday on July 26, 2021 at the beach with her parents. She had completed her first year of college at St. Joseph’s University. After spending a year living in a dorm post Covid, Mia decided to transfer to Temple University and live at home. So the weeks following her birthday were spent preparing for her sophomore year of college and practicing for her upcoming driver’s license exam.
On August 11, 2021, Mia woke up with some neck pain and numbness and tingling in her arm. She called her mom who was a registered nurse and starting her shift for the day. The initial thought was neck strain, but the numbness and tingling spread to both arms and legs rendering Mia unable to get out of her family car once she arrived at the emergency room. Mia may have had a seizure or simply passed out as she was lifted out of the car and rushed in to the emergency room by staff.
Mia spent 12 hours in the emergency room being evaluated, tested for the possible cause of what was going on. She had lost all movement and sensation below her neck and was having difficulty speaking in more than a whisper. It was a terrifying experience, but since she had no underlying health conditions no one had any idea how serious her diagnosis would be. As the hours passed the neck pain had become intolerable, but none of the tests revealed the cause of what was happening.
Mia and her family received the devastating news the following day that she had suffered a spinal cord stroke at the C3/C4 level. As the day progressed Mia had a hard time maintaining her blood pressure, her heart rate was very low, and her respiratory effort severely weakened by her paralysis. Mia was transferred to the neuro ICU so that she could safely receive the proper care and be monitored very closely. Her neuro team warned that Mia might have needed to be placed on a ventilator. She was critically ill and medically unstable.
Her care team left no stone unturned trying to determine the cause of such a catastrophic medical event in a young healthy person. She spent 3 weeks in the hospital, all but two days in the ICU trying to stabilize her enough to be transferred to rehab. The cause of her stroke is a theory, as the medical team was unable to completely determine the cause. The theory is that Mia had a blood clot that burst and sprayed, causing two strokes in her brain (the right occipital lobe and the right cerebellum) and a major stroke in her spinal cord resulting in Asia-A complete Quadriplegia/Tetraplegia.
Mia was transferred to Magee hospital for intense rehabilitation. One month after her stroke, Mia began to have very small movements starting with a few toes, and as therapy continued so did small gains of movement. After two and a half months of hospitalization, Mia was able to return home and begin the next step in her recovery. She attended Magee’s out-patient Riverfront facility. She received therapy five days a week as a part of their intensive day rehab program. Through her therapists’ expertise and Mia’s determination she made incredible strides regaining mobility. Mia also worked at home outside of therapy with her mom who was caring for her fulltime. After four months, Mia had to leave the intensive day program and transition to two 45-minute PT and two 45-minute OT therapy sessions a week due to insurance guidelines. Mia was making incredible progress, but this decrease in therapy had a negative effect on her body and her psyche. She had more pain, spasms and tightness, she was not making the progress she knew she could if she was able to receive more therapy.
At the suggestion of another patient’s family we looked into intensive neuro-based paralysis recovery at Project Walk New Jersey. It is not covered by insurance, but Mia and her family knew that they needed to find a way to get Mia there for several sessions a week. Her progress has not yet stopped. Unfortunately, insurance is no longer covering any therapy at Magee Rehab, and Project Walk is an out-of-pocket expense. Mia and her family remain committed to working toward a complete recovery.
Through her hard work and the support and dedication from her family, Mia is now an Asia D incomplete Quad/Tetraplegic.
Unfortunately Insurance does not cover many of the expenses incurred. Stopping therapy is not an option. There are so many different forms of therapy that Mia would like to add to her recovery regimen, such as water therapy, infrared light therapy, Pilates, massage therapy and acupuncture to help manage her chronic pain, and additional time at Project Walk. Paying for the wheelchair-accessible van that was purchased is difficult as well. Mia’s mom is no longer able to work as an oncology nurse and is caring for Mia fulltime. Access to this transportation is a necessary element to Mia’s recovery and independence. Mia also requires many supplements that are necessary to manage many of the complications associated with her spinal cord injury. They all come at a cost that insurance doesn’t cover. Someone’s financial ability should not determine the amount of recovery that they can make. Their outcome shouldn’t be limited by what they can afford to do.
Mia remains as sweet and kind as she was prior to her injury. She definitely gets frustrated at times for sure. She remains positive and determined about her recovery. She has a can do attitude and is up for any challenge thrown her way by her therapists. She is getting ready to begin her second clinical trial not only to see if she can benefit but to possibly help others in a similar situation. Mia has returned to Temple University as an online student as she remains focused on a bright and beautiful future.
Mia has chosen to fundraise for Help Hope Live in part because Help Hope Live assures fiscal accountability of funds raised and tax deductibility for contributors. Contributors can be sure donations will be used to pay or reimburse medical and related expenses. To make a tax-deductible donation to this fundraising campaign, click on the Give button.
For more information, please contact Help Hope Live at 800.642.8399.
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