Hi! Our names are Megan and Matthew, we are the daughter and son to Diana James. We are experiencing one of the most surreal events of our lifetime currently. It’s hard to imagine what we are dealing with, even for us living in these moments!
On Mother’s Day (5/14) we put our mother on a plane in Portland Oregon for what was supposed to be a trip of her lifetime to Portugal. Within 24 hours of landing she suffered a subdural hematoma, we believe due to some unfortunate events that occurred during her travel. She went to a park along the river bank for an art class and didn’t feel well. She lost consciousness at the park and the ambulance was called. She was taken to Braga Portugal for an emergency craniotomy (removing part of the skull to relieve pressure). We were notified on Tuesday 5/16 and were on a flight out on 5/18 arriving 5/19.
Up until 5/30 she had been intubated with ventilator assist but had a tracheostomy to allow her lungs to stay strong and her throat to heal. We spend several hours a day at her side offering encouragement and familiar voices in a foreign country. She is still unconscious but she has shown signs of improvement. Her eyes have started to open a little bit and had a few tears, she gripped our hand the other day, she blinks her eyelids and moves her body (especially when we tickle her feet), she responds to pain AND most importantly she is now breathing on her own without ventilation. Her latest CT Scan (5/31) was normal. As of 6/1, she has been moved from ICU to the neuro floor for rehabilitation. Her doctor back home, the doctors here in Braga and her children fully believe she just needs more time to wake up.
Only 200,000 people in the US have a subdural hematoma every year and the mortality rate for it is 50-90%! She has already beat so many odds stacked against her! Our mother is a fighter in every sense of the word! She raised 2 children as a single parent working 3-4 jobs. She is the only parent we have really ever known, she is our hero. The list of her struggles to survive are endless and now she is faced with the biggest fight and challenge of her life.
We are staying in Portugal until she is safe to transport, which is likely another month or more away. Depending on how she recovers it is quite likely she will need to go into assisted living. The current quote for us to bring her home is $225,000! Unfortunately I did not know travel insurance covered this type of situation, so she is without travel insurance (please let this be a lesson to anyone who thinks that travel insurance is a waste of money, medical insurance in the US will not cover this need). We have reached out to the US Government and they have offered very little assistance, only providing us a number to an air ambulance company in Lisbon and saying in small circumstances they may be able to offer a loan to get our mom home. We are now faced with a lifetime of debt on top of the cost of care our mom is likely going to require once she is back home.
Our Mom told my brother “if anything happens to me over there, just leave me there! I don’t want you guys going into debt to bring me home and I don’t want to be a burden on anyone!” As you can imagine, that isn’t even an option on our table!!
She is humble, she is kind, she is determined, she is strong, and is someone who would be mortified to know we are asking for your assistance.
We appreciate any and all support you are willing to give to help us get our mom back to Portland Oregon! No donation is too small, even a penny adds up to something! We appreciate your generosity and consideration no matter the amount. If you cannot afford to contribute, please feel free to share! It is literally going to take a village to bring her home! Thank you from the bottom of our hearts! There are no words adequate enough to describe our gratitude for the love and generosity we have encountered during this time.
In the chance that the campaign goal is exceeded, the remaining funds will be used for her care once she is back home. Also please note that the goal is higher than the actual cost because of GoFundMe’s fees. If you are interested in other alternatives to help, please contact me for more information at BringDianaJamesHome@gmail.com. Donations can also be made at any Columbia Credit Union either by mailing a check or going into a local branch and earmarking it for Bring Diana James Home. (Mail checks to Columbia Credit Union c/o Bring Diana James Home, PO Box 324, Vancouver, WA 98666)