My Story

My name is Natalie, and I am the founder of Care4Coma. I wanted to share my story and give hope to other families.

My life changed dramatically in 2017. The day started off like any other day, my mom went to work, she called me later and asked what I had wanted for dinner. She told me she'd let dad know so he could pick it up on his way home. I didn't know then, but that was the last time I would hear my mom's voice.

I will never forget that day. My entire life changed when I received a call from the paramedics saying my mom collapsed, "she was found unconscious, we were unable to revive her, you need to go to the hospital." When I arrived at the general hospital I was told what no family member should ever hear about a loved one. "I am sorry, the damage is severe there is nothing we can do. Please say your goodbyes." 

I could never imagine a world without my mom, she's such a vital part of my life. I wasn't ready to say goodbye to her. She was in a coma for almost half a year and my dad and I spent every second we could with her. When it was safe we brought her home. Her prognosis from the hospital was very poor, there was great uncertainty as to whether or not she would survive and to make matters worse, there were very few resources available to help those in our situation.

After caring for my mom everyday for over 2 years, she made tremendous progress, we weaned her off all the machines and tubes and she was able to eat. sit up, move and blink. She surprised all her doctors. They said she was miracle and they never seen such progress.  However, like so many other families the pandemic affected our lives as well. With fears surrounding infection and resources not what they once were, my mom fell ill again in the fall of 2020, and she was once again hospitalized. We were told her prognosis was very bad, and due to her prior illness it was unlikely she would make it this time. Our family was devastated, it was as if all the progress she had made never happened.  Like so many others, we weren't able to see our mom as often as we liked. The nurses and doctors were very accommodating and did video calls when I couldn't be by her side. To thank them for their kindness Care4Coma donated a handcrafted soap basket to the front-line greeters and ICU staff with soap bars inscribed MSH Hero.

Our family was faced with a new challenge during the pandemic. My mom, at home required a ventilator to breathe, a g-tube to eat, a catheter, and she is unable to move or blink. She survived over a year with us caring for her 24/7, she watched movies with us, she went outside in the summer, relaxed with her feet up, and when we walked past her with delicious smelling food or something sweet she would follow us with her eyes as if to say, "hey, where's mine" especially if it was cake or shortbread cookies and would set off all the alarms until she had some food first. She made us laugh and cry, we cuddled her as much as we could, we gave her butterfly kisses and real kisses and hugs but she unfortunately left us in the fall of this year.  I will forever miss my mom, She was kind and loving and brought a light to our world, even without speaking she made friends with everyone she came across, she gave us hope, faith, strength everyday. She taught us so many lessons and I miss her terribly. 

My mom is the reason I chose to start Care4Coma to help families realize they aren't alone in this journey and to always have hope.

Click here to learn more about our mission.