Beautiful Young Mom Suffers Brain Stem Stroke and Left Paralyzed While in Hospital Caring for Sic

Press Release (ePRNews.com) - SARASOTA, Fla. - Jul 20, 2017 - 25-year-old new mom Kristina fought hard to find out what was wrong with her chronically ill newborn son Lucas. He was finally diagnosed with Mast Cell Activation Disorder, a disease that rendered him allergic to practically everything – including water. Lucas was being sustained by his mother’s breast milk; Kristina was on an 8-month diet of only eating 1 food that Lucas could tolerate. She was exhausted, malnourished, and battling her own newly activated Mast Cell Activation Disorder coupled with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome. Then the unimaginable happened after a 3-month hospital stay in California where she and her family were seeking treatment for her son Lucas.  Kristina suffered a massive brain stem stroke which resulted in her having locked in syndrome, an extremely rare secondary disorder that renders her aware and alert but unable to move, talk, eat, hold or play with her son.

That was 21 months ago. Today, Kristina, a physical therapist herself, has been able to prove many doctors wrong. Despite a grim prognosis, she breathes on her own and is making some progress in her PT. While Kristina’s health demands 24/7 care, we are so thankful that Lucas’ diagnosis has stabilized due to aggressive medical intervention. For Kristina, communication is attained by spelling the alphabet with eye blinks, where she can turn letters into words and sentences.. It is a tedious process, but allows Kristina to have a voice.

Kristina’s medical care is extensive and costly, and now that Kristina is home on 24/7 care, the family needs support in raising funds to cover medical costs and assistance as well as making improvements on their home so that Kristina’s care can be better managed and Lucas can spend more quality time with her.  Kristina’s mom Linda is her caretaker, by her side day and night. Any money that we raise will go directly to Kristina and Lucas’ ongoing medical care and for therapeutic resources to aid in Kristina’s recovery. One of the biggest blessings in all of this is seeing Kristina’s spirit remain unbroken. She is still the same beautiful woman inside and out, filled with hope and love. She is a remarkable mother. The family really needs your help to continue her journey of recovery.

To help offset such expenses, a fundraising campaign in Kristina’s honor has been established with Help Hope Live, a trusted nonprofit organization that has been providing community-based fundraising guidance to patients and their families for more than 30 years. All donations are tax-deductible, are held by Help Hope Live in the Southeast Catastrophic Illness Fund, and are administered by Help Hope Live for transplant-related expenses only. If you would like to make a contribution, please click the DONATE NOW bar on the link below.

Here is the link to donate: https://helphopelive.org/campaign/12353

See more of Kristina’s story as told by her and her mom on The Joy FM here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FkyRk561Ioo

Thank you for your support!

#lockedinforkristina