#BringDianaJamesHome

June 26th, 2023

Posted on June 26, 2023July 19, 2023 by Megan

Today we got a really sweet message from my mom’s old coworker and I wanted to share it here. It’s a reminder to us that we are a strong family and we’ve been through a lot. This is one of the many battles we have wagered in our lives and we have always come out stronger for it. I hope this is no exception. It is also a reminder to us of how incredibly strong and selfless our mother has been our entire lives and how we must unite and standup for her now. She has always been the strongest, selfless, and most modest human we have ever known and we will always be the children of our mother.

Megan and Matt, I don’t know if you remember me but I worked with your mother at the City of Vancouver in the purchasing department back when she started out at the city. She was pretty shy but I think she knew I needed a friend and teammate pretty badly at that time. I’d like to think i was a friend to her as well. You all have traveled an extremely bumpy road and I’m not sure any of you really understand how strong you are and what a great example you are for others. Your mom being the very modest person she is always told me she wasn’t anything special, or strong, or a good role model, as she was dealing with so many freaking extreme challenges. It broke my heart to know what you all were going through at that time and it breaks my heart now to know what life has thrown at you again, and again. At least that’s how it appears to me from the outside looking in. I know I’m rambling but I guess what I’m trying to say is that I’m proud to say I was friends with your mom and that I was also proud of what good things she had to say about you two too! I wish the best for all of you and I know if there’s any chance you can come out of this winner’s then you will figure it out and kick ass along the way! I’m truly proud of you all. All the best and keep us all posted. Your efforts may just spark an idea in someone’s mind that could help steer you to success in bringing her home. I know that’s what we’d all like to see! I know it’s easy to say, but stay strong. Y’all have proven that you deserve the right to say; we’ve got this.

June 24th, 2023

Posted on June 24, 2023July 19, 2023 by Megan

Mom has been doing pretty good lately. Still a ways to recover but as we have learned, brains take time…a lot of time.

We continue to battle every bureaucratic road block possible. I have written an email to President Biden, no response. I have written to our state Governor, it isn’t something governor’s offices deal with. I have written to senators Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell, I have heard back from Patty Murray’s office and they are essentially just as useless the US Embassy here in Lisbon. Then to top it all off, her Humana medical insurance is now refusing to provide a letter of guaranteed payment to the hospital in the amount of €51,000. While she has WORLDWIDE coverage for emergencies, her insurance is now expecting us to front the payment to the hospital and then return home to “seek” reimbursement. Who has this kind of money just laying around?! We can’t even afford to bring our mother home. In my opinion, they should be more than willing to pay the hospital the full amount and even tip them 50% for taking care of my mom because that would still be a fraction of what her care back home would cost.

I am at a complete loss! I am baffled as to how one of the richest countries in the world is willing to leave our family abandoned in a foreign country. The people of Portugal are baffled and they are considered a poor country, because in this country they would NEVER abandon one of their citizens abroad. All this situation has done for me is highlight every broken system in the US. We want to think that the USA cares about its people, but they don’t. The care about who is lining their pockets and that is it. We should be focused on my mom and her care, but instead we are left to navigate this nightmare of red tape and BS….it’s just unnecessary! It is truly disheartening and I just don’t know how much more I can take. My soul is literally crushed!

June 15th, 2023

Posted on June 15, 2023July 19, 2023 by Megan

6/15: Mom underwent surgery today to remove her feeding tube from her nose and place it directly into her stomach. This is to prevent her nose from ulcerating. She sailed through the surgery and was even opening her eyes shortly after she returned. Yesterday she was very quiet and motionless, most likely due to recovering from her seizures. She was much more active today, moving her feet and opening her eyes prior to the surgery. Today my aunt and uncle said their goodbyes as they are returning to the states tomorrow and it’s back to just my brother and I. I think she was doing quite well today, we will hope for more improvements tomorrow. The doctor said something about doing an ECG test on her to monitor her brainwaves. We are hoping for a positive result. She had a really sweet roommate until today when he moved down the hall but we visited with him and finally found someone to translate what he was telling us when he was in the room. He said she looks much better today and he kept an eye on her for us when we weren’t able to be there with her. He said he prays for us every day. I will say the people of Braga Portugal are absolutely incredible and have welcomed us with open arms and hearts!❤️.

June 13th, 2023

Posted on June 13, 2023July 19, 2023 by Megan

Whew!! What a crazy couple of days!!! Yesterday Mom’s seizures increased to happening every 5 minutes or so, it was awful to see and we were petrified! After running tests yesterday, they started treating her with antibiotics for a UTI and by this afternoon her seizures have stopped. This will likely delay her recovery but she did open BOTH of her eyes today and kept them open for about 30 minutes which she has never done before so that was good to see!!!!!! She didn’t really “register” what she was seeing if she was able to see but it’s still much better than yesterday. She is still at risk for pneumonia because people who have a trach and have seizures are at risk for aspiration so they will be keeping a close eye on that over the next few days. This experience has been one of the longest rollercoaster rides we’ve ever been on but we are so grateful to be experiencing a positive after a new days of fear.

We are still a very long ways away from having the funds necessary to transfer her back to the states and things have started to die down on the GoFundMe front so if you could help us continue to share this campaign to get her home, we would greatly appreciate it!!!❤️. Much love to you all!

June 11th, 2023

Posted on June 11, 2023July 19, 2023 by Megan

Today was a really rough day! While at the hospital Mom had a small seizure. I ran to get the nurse they came in and confirmed it was a small seizure and said they would contact the doctor to adjust her medications. Right before the doctor entered the room she had a pretty decent seizure that affected more than just face twinges. From what we are told these can be typical after this kind of injury/surgery. It was very scary to see and it depleted my emotional energy. My brother, Aunt and Uncle stayed at the hospital with her but I had to leave because it wrecked me to see her like that. They reported to me tonight that she is doing much better after the doctors increased her seizure medication. This recovery feels like 2 steps forward and 1 back and sometimes 2 steps back and 1 forward. It is the hardest thing my family has ever been through, hands down. I miss the mom I dropped off at the airport on Morher’s day almost a month ago. What I wouldn’t do to go back and change things!! Thank you for all of your continued shares and support! ❤️

June 7th, 2023

Posted on June 7, 2023July 19, 2023 by Megan

Update 6/7: We have very good news to share today!! Mom was taken from the Neuro Critical Ward and is now just in the Neuro Ward. She is no longer hooked up to machines that constantly beep. She only has a feeding tube, a port for medications and a catheter. Visitation hours aren’t so strict anymore and we are so grateful to spend more time with her. For those keeping track of her journey, that was 17 days in ICU, 5 days in Neuro Critical and now she is entering the next level of care where they will start to do rehabilitation. Little by little she is improving. No huge improvements in the last couple of days with her state, but we still have many miles to travel on this road. That woman is the strongest woman I have ever known. We met with the surgeon who decided to do the craniotomy surgery yesterday and we found out the only thing that saved her life was the fact that her pupils were not fixed. He took a chance on her at her age and we are so grateful he gave her a chance to live. Her midline is back to center and her brain as of the latest CT scan is normal. It was a very emotional but happy meeting. He was excited to hear that she had started to respond and immediately went up to evaluate her and signed the orders for her move. Her coma scale was a 4 when we got here and he said she now averages about an 8. She is our miracle!❤️

June 6th, 2023

Posted on June 6, 2023November 23, 2023 by Megan

A big thank you to KGW and KPTV (the local news stations back home) for amplifying our story! It’s going to take a literal village of people to bring our Mom home. We appreciate every single donation more than we can every convey!❤️

You can find our interviews for KGW and KPTV below:

A Vancouver woman is stuck in Portugal after suffering a medical emergency. It’ll cost $250K to fly her home Diana James suffered a subdural hematoma on the second day of her trip to Portugal. She’s now in a coma with her family unsure of when they’ll get to bring her back. View Original KGW Post

Vancouver family working to get mom home from Portugal after hospitalization View Original KPTV Post

June 4th, 2023

Posted on June 4, 2023July 19, 2023 by Megan

My mom’s sister and brother (Aunt Sandy and Uncle Terry) arrived today (by PST) in Braga which is ironically the same day our mom was supposed to fly home. We took them to visit mom today after lunch. Sandy is a retired nurse so I am very much looking forward to having an experienced medical professional here who can help us facilitate my mom’s care. Uncle Terry said she squeezed his fingers a little bit. We are all aware that she has a very long road to recovery ahead of her. However, if there is one person I believe in the most, it is our mother. I have intentionally stayed away from medically researching her diagnosis online…until today. Subdural hematomas have a 50-90% mortality rate. She had every odd stacked against her: the amount of time it took for her to get the surgery, the fact that she is elderly and has many other health concerns, the fact that she has a shunt in her brain already for NPH that only aided her hematoma by draining more spinal fluid from her brain and making room for more blood, the fact that her hematoma crossed the midline, and the fact that she was a 4 on the coma scale….all should’ve killed her. But she is still here and fighting to come back. She is breathing on her own, she can open her eyes for a little bit, she can move her legs, and can sometimes squeeze hands, her coma scale rating has improved and Matt and I strongly feel that she is comprehending the things we tell her and is finding small ways to communicate. She will definitely have a long road ahead of her and she will most likely never be the same again but we are grateful for every moment we have for her because we could’ve lost our mom and our lives would’ve been completely shattered, even more than they already are. Please continue to keep her in your thoughts and well wishes. Also, please continue to share this campaign to bring her home. We cannot do this without your love and support!❤️

June 2nd, 2023

Posted on June 2, 2023July 19, 2023 by Megan

6/2 Update: she has been moved to the Neuro Critical Ward from ICU. She is fully breathing on her own without oxygen or vent but still through the trach. On 6/1 she opened her right eye and held it open for quite a long time. Baby steps in a very long road to recovery but we celebrate every single milestone!! We are also pretty convinced she uses her feet to communicate with us. We ask her questions and ask her to respond using her feet. It isn’t concrete but Matt and I both feel that is what is happening. ❤️

Bring Diana James Home

Posted on May 15, 2023July 19, 2023 by Megan

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.