Goodrich – Born with multiple disabilities and unable to walk, crawl or stand, 5-year-old Emily Hansel had just learned how to pull herself up to a sitting position when she suffered a stroke on Jan. 10.
‘She had so much strength,? said John Hansel, Emily’s father, recalling her condition prior to the stroke. ‘She was interacting with people more than ever before, with lots of smiles and laughs. She had made so much progress.?
The stress Emily’s mother, Lisa, felt during Emily’s stroke and hospitalization, brought an underlying seizure disorder (caused by head trauma from a fall) to the surface. Just a week later, on Jan. 16, Lisa suffered a debilitating seizure which put her in Beaumont Hospital for five days.
John went back and forth to Beaumont, visiting Emily in the intensive care unit and Lisa while she was recovering from her seizure.
‘Emily’s stroke has taken a tremendous toll on our family,? said John. ‘My wife fell and hit her head on a curb when she was younger, and all of the stress from Emily’s stroke was very exhausting both physically and emotionally as we drove back and forth to Beaumont Hospital constantly to see Emily.?
John said his coomute to his job in Lansing is adding to his fatigue. A computer technician, John works at E.D.S. (Electronic Data Systems) and drives 77 miles each way to and from Lansing four days a week. ‘I would like to get a job closer to home so I could spend more time with my family right now,? he said.
Emily was released from Beaumont on Feb. 12 and is now receiving pediatric palliative care from St. John’s Hospital near Lisa’s mother’s house in Warren. John said the help Lisa is getting from her mom, Jackie, is worth the extra 20 miles he drives to Lansing for work.
‘Emily’s stroke occurred on the right side of her brain, which has caused body damage to her left side,? said John.
Although John has Blue Cross/Blue Shield insurance for his family, he said the insurance will only cover 70 visits. ‘Emily is going to need extensive therapy for a long period of time,? said John.
When the Hillcrest Farms neighborhood heard about the Hansel family, they sprang into action to help their neighbors. They found out about John’s mounting medical bills and his inability to pay his phone, gas bill, fuel costs and other bills, so they decided to have a soda pop fundraising drive for them.
Neighbor Lori Setera, who helped to organize the event, said, ‘We raised about $160 through the pop drive and received cash and checks that added up to about $1,000. However this family’s needs are great and we are asking the community for help.?
Setera said the Hansels are a genuinely nice family who everybody seems to like. ‘John loves Emily so much. He is a very proud father and I have seen him take Emily for walks around the neighborhood all of the time,? she said.
Another neighbor, Anita Pratt, said, ‘Our subdivision usually pulls together during times of crisis. We are a close-knit neighborhood. We have picnics together in our pavilion park. When we heard that the Hansels were going through such an enormous setback, it was one of those emotional things for everyone in our neighborhood.?
John said the support he has received from his neighborhood has made a positive impact on him.
‘Besides the efforts to help us financially, my neighbors? thoughts and prayers are very comforting to me. Knowing everything they are doing for my family, helps to keep me strong,? said John.