Emily Progin, Content Manager
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COMMUNITY SUPPORTS MOM AFTER SUDDEN PARALYSIS
Fundraising Critical to Spinal Stroke Recovery for Harmony Perez
LILBURN, Ga.—On April 22, the unthinkable happened to wife and mother Harmony Perez. Now recovering from a rare spinal stroke, Harmony has returned home from inpatient rehabilitation—and her family is preparing their home for her new life with paralysis. Her community has started a fundraising campaign with the trusted national nonprofit Help Hope Live to cover critical out-of-pocket expenses.
April 22 was an ordinary morning for Harmony Perez of Lilburn, her husband Virgilio “Chris” Perez, and her daughters Riley (10) and Maya (8)—until it wasn’t.
Harmony experienced back pain that grew severe and led to sudden paralysis in her legs. She was rushed to the hospital and ultimately diagnosed with a rare spinal stroke. Only 1.25% of all strokes are spinal strokes. Harmony is now living with paralysis from the chest down.
In May, Harmony transferred to Shepherd Center in Atlanta, a leading rehabilitation center, for intensive paralysis recovery therapy. Her daughter Maya even celebrated a surprise 8th birthday party with Harmony at Shepherd Center.
Harmony was discharged from Shepherd Center in July, but she was readmitted for inpatient care in August due to ongoing medical challenges.
On September 3, she and her family celebrated her second homecoming. “Harmony and I surprised the girls by picking them up from school,” explained Chris. “It was such a happy and emotional moment for all.”
“Throughout all of this, we have had some weak moments, but our faith remains strong,” Chris said. “Harmony continues to fight and keep a positive attitude. She is the most resilient, bravest, strongest person I know, and she continues to show these qualities every day.”
For Harmony to live at home safely with her family, they will need to fund home modifications not fully covered by insurance. Most urgently, they need a stair lift so Harmony can access the upstairs level of her home and modifications to their kitchen for accessibility. Other key costs will include accessible transportation and durable home medical equipment.
To help cover these critical expenses, Harmony’s community is supporting a medical fundraising campaign with the trusted nonprofit Help Hope Live. Tax-deductible donations can be made at: https://helphopelive.org/campaign/24108/
Unlike a GoFundMe campaign, donations to Help Hope Live are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law, and all funds raised will be managed by the nonprofit to cover verified medical and related expenses. Help Hope Live verifies medical and financial need for every patient.
Help Hope Live is a national nonprofit that specializes in engaging communities in secure, tax-deductible fundraising campaigns for people who need a transplant or are affected by a catastrophic injury or illness. Since 1983, campaigns organized by Help Hope Live have raised over $181 million to pay patient expenses.
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