On July 23, 2024, our dear sister and friend, Eing (Aggie) Sobeski, experienced a hemorrhagic stroke that left her with a life-altering impact. The stroke affected the vital connection between her brain and spinal cord, as a result, left her unable to breathe, feed and function on her own. Adding to this hardship, she was also diagnosed with Locked-in syndrome, which left her body paralyzed allowing only minimal movements in her eye muscles, left fingers and feet. After barely surviving her first few days in the hospital where she slipped into a coma, Eing fought hard and returned to us. She underwent surgery to have a tracheostomy for breathing assistance and a feeding tube to ensure her nourishment. Eing’s fight to heal will be a long and difficult journey. Eing will require ongoing care in healthcare facilities, alongside extensive therapeutic efforts. She will need all of our support. Your kindness in the form of financial contributions, comforting words, supportive actions, and prayers can make a profound difference. We understand that the road to recovery is extremely difficult and has unfavorable odds, but it’s within such moments that the power of the human spirit, love and a strong support system from families and community truly shine. Any support you can extend will be received with boundless gratitude. In this time of need, our family expresses heartfelt appreciation for the love and support you have already shared. Your empathy and compassion are a beacon of light, guiding us as we navigate the intricate path toward Eing’s healing and well-being. Financial support. We are continuing to learn of Eing’s financial needs as we navigate insurance, medical bills, and rehab/therapy fees. Our ask for this fundraiser is a start of $36,000 that will be used to cover her personal expenses and medical payments due to the likely loss of her full-time wages. Words and actions of encouragement. We know that with every success story comes encouragement from the people she loves. We also know that not all can be here with her. So we ask that you send your words of encouragement, thoughts, memories, love, etc. for Eing to the organizer. Your emails will be read to her so she knows you are thinking of her. Your words can be a source of encouragement when she needs it. You can also make a video. Prayers. Thank you all who have prayed for Eing since the beginning. Prayer is powerful and we have seen it. Please continue to keep Eing in your thoughts and prayers. Here is additional information on Eing and her condition/progress: Eing’s stroke occurred on Sunday, July 23 when she was at the pool enjoying the sun with her friend and her friend’s daughter. That afternoon, she was rushed to the Northwestern Medical Central DuPage Hospital. It was identified that she had a hemorrhagic stroke. Hemorrhagic stroke makes up only 13% of strokes. Due to the location of her stroke, it had caused a lesion on her brain stem that damaged the pons that links your brain to your spinal cord. She was also diagnosed with Locked-in syndrome, a rare neurological disorder that causes paralysis of the voluntary muscles, except for eye muscles. People with locked-in syndrome are aware of their surroundings and retain cognitive abilities like thinking and reasoning but lose control of voluntary muscle movement below their eyes. In Eing’s case, she was able to make minor movements to her left hand such as squeezing from the first three fingers and some faint movement to her feet. Patients with locked-in syndrome have only a 13% survival rate within the first four months, however, after four months the survival rates increase. When Eing was diagnosed with Locked-in syndrome, the diagnosis was so severe that the demeanor and tone of the ICU Doctors lead us to believe that there was no chance for her to survive and that if she survived she would be living a long complicated life likely bedridden with a breathing and feeding tube. They even described her situation as that she would “choke and die”. In a very difficult and heartfelt emotional meeting with the ICU doctors and other support staff, the family decided to do an extubation, which will result in the ending of her life. This date was set for Sunday, July 30. On Saturday, July 29, many friends and families came from near and far away States to see her, some for a final goodbye. With one final plea, the family asked the Neurologist to ask Eing if she wanted to live and miraculously she was able to confidently communicate that she wanted to try to live. There was so much joy and tears that day. All prayers were answered!
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