Story
Earlier this year, after months of noticeable cognitive decline and worsening physical symptoms, our dad, Raymond Garcia, was diagnosed with a large brain tumor. On March 25th, he underwent a 14-hour surgery at Northwestern Memorial Hospital to remove a right tentorial meningioma.
During the difficult operation, Ray encountered stroke-like bleeding, which caused physical impairments on his left side, difficulty with coordination and walking, and major changes in memory and cognition. He spent two weeks in the ICU, then was transferred to Shirley Ryan AbilityLab in downtown Chicago on April 13th for rehab. At that point, he was still heavily medicated and disoriented, and unable to participate in any meaningful therapy.
Due to insurance limitations, he was discharged from Shirley Ryan on May 8th to a skilled nursing facility closer to home. His discharge was difficult and concerning, as he still requires restraints for his safety, but the level of facility he was transferred to does not allow restraints. This has created significant safety challenges.
Our mom has been there through all of it. She drove back and forth between the suburbs and downtown Chicago during his hospital and rehab stays—often staying with Julia in the city just to be close to him—and now she is at the current facility supervising him 24/7, as a 24-hour nurse is not covered by insurance and would be around $600 per day out of pocket.
Our mom has missed a significant amount of work, including the end of the school year, and missed the chance to say goodbye to the students she has worked with for years as they graduated. The physical and mental strain on her has been immense.
She is also managing the process of selling and moving out of their current two-story family home. Since our dad cannot safely move around the stairs, she is preparing to transition them to a more accessible living space so she can care for him at home when he is able to return.
Elise and I have been doing everything we can—taking shifts at the facility, visiting regularly, and making sure our mom gets breaks—but the toll this has taken on our family, especially on our mom, has been overwhelming.
We’re raising funds to help with:
* Hiring help to pack, clean, and manage the move
* Offsetting the income our mom has lost from being unable to work
* Covering essential daily costs like food, gas, and transportation
* Contributing toward additional care not covered by Medicare
While a lot has happened since the surgery, the doctor estimates around 18 months for a full recovery. We don’t know what lies ahead, but we’re doing everything we can to make sure our dad gets better.
Any amount helps, and we’re deeply grateful for your support. Thank you for reading and for standing with our family during this incredibly difficult time!
Organizers :
Co-organized
Julia Garcia and Elise Augustine are organizing this fundraiser.