Silke fights back to life after stroke and LIS

March 3, 2015 - Silke Büttinghaus, age 31 and eight months pregnant-, is suffering from a cerebral haemorrhage in the brain stem. In an emergency operation her little boy is born. After two weeks in coma Silke’s awakening slowly starts. Diagnosis: Locked-In-Syndrome: 100% paralysation, speaking, moving and hearing is initially not possible. However, Silke’s intellect, her thoughts and emotions are entirely intact and unimpaired. She is recognizing everything around her but is locked in her own body.

Initially, a recuperation was  ruled out. Silke spends 259 days in a hospital for early rehabilitation. On Christmas Day December 24, 2015 she returns home. Silke and her husband Jörg had promised this to their children. With utmost effort, up until then Silke has learned to communicate using vertical eye movements and a letter chart.   

The home care nursing is a multiple burden for the family. Aside of his job Jörg contributes more than 160 hours for nursing and care. Silke’s daily training is taking up to eight hours to re-learn everything from scratch. Speaking, swallowing, coughing, drinking, all must be learned new. The family is not giving up. Until Cords school enrolment in 2019 Silke wants to walk again.

Despite a very good assistance by medical health insurance high cost for additional therapies, nursing and care must be borne privately. On average these are 8000 Euro per month. Here, the Return | Foundation helps, with donations from friends, family and out of various campaigns.

We appreciate your kind donation very much. Thank you!