Sweet Melissa.

My dear friend Melissa has been in Madison Wisconsin since the middle of last week. Her mom suddenly took ill, and she bought the first flight she could get her hands on. I have been thinking about her and her mother constantly. She sent the following email this weekend:

hi everyone,

i am writing to let you know about my mom and to please think positive healing thoughts for her...

some of you may have heard already that my mom has had a ruptured aneurysm and is in the intensive care unit in madison wisconsin. and i just wanted to give everyone a brief update from what i know, what i've seen and what i understand.

this all happened on wednesday morning may 26. med flight transferred her to UW hospital in madison that afternoon and she was in surgery for 9 hours. i left from san francisco wed. night and got to the hospital thursday around 10am.

since thursday she has been stable but critical because the type of rupture was violent. and today she had to have an angiogram to help control the vasospasms that are occurring, which means the vessels are spasing and it puts her at a higher risk for stroke. she is in a coma and having little response.

i will be honest, the road to recovery is long... she is critical, but stable. there are so many details i can't even get into right now but i wanted to at least let everyone know what is going on.

this is the single most hardest experience i've had in my life. if you've met my mom you'll know she is the most thoughtful, kind, giving and loving person you could know... she is truly magical.

i'm here in madison with my aunt mardy, my sister sara, my cousins brittany and linsey and my aunt vicki. we are spending every day in the ICU. all our family and friends are so supportive beyond belief... we are blessed and grateful for all the prayers and help we are receiving.

i'm calling erik everyday to let him know what is happening. please call him if you need to get in touch with me. and please keep sending prayers to my mom.

much love to everyone.

Since then, Melissa has created an on-line journal to update everyone on her mom's
progress. The URL is below. It is also a place to donate money to help pay for the hospital bills.

http://www.caringbridge.org/wi/55happy