Local woman fighting for her life

TOLEDO, Ohio (WTVG) – The community is doing what it can to help a local woman fighting for her life. Sarah Fitzgerald has been in the hospital for weeks after being diagnosed with an arteriovenous malformation (AVM).

Fitzgerald is a 23-year-old paramedic who wanted to be an X-ray technician. But in June her world was turned upside down and she has been fighting for her life ever since. Thanks to the support of the community, she has made remarkable progress.

On June 24, Fitzgerald's world changed forever. She was working out at the gym when she noticed something was wrong. So she called her mother, Leah Vossen. Leah Vossen quickly realized her daughter needed help. So she and Fitzgerald's father went to the gym. When they got there, Fitzgerald had collapsed.

“We had no idea what was going on. We didn't know if she was having a heart attack or stroke or what was going on,” Leah Vossen said. “She had stopped breathing a couple of times in the ambulance and was intubated before she got to the emergency room. They did a CT scan and we were all in the waiting room and when the doctor showed us the scan, you could see it was a massive bleed.”

Fitzgerald was diagnosed with arteriosclerotic thrombocytopenia, which led to massive brain bleeding. She underwent immediate surgery.

“Your arteries and veins are just connected to each other instead of having capillaries there. There's high pressure in the arteries, low pressure in the veins, and when all that gets into the veins, the veins can't handle it and rupture,” Leah Vossen said. “Watching your child struggle every day and be in pain every day is, I can't really explain it. If you're a mom, you know that.”

Fitzgerald spent more than a month in the neurological intensive care unit before being transferred to a critical illness rehabilitation hospital.

“Over the course of her six weeks in the neurological intensive care unit, she had six surgeries,” said Fitzgerald's aunt, Michelle Vossen. “Because they removed a large portion of her brain, which affects her motor skills, the doctors told us it needs time and therapy.”

Fitzgerald is conscious and aware of what is happening around her, but she cannot speak. Leah Vossen taught Fitzgerald simple sign language as a child, not knowing what impact it would have.

“A few days after her first surgery, I was thinking about how we could try to communicate with her, because she had a tube in her mouth and we didn't know any of her deficits or anything like that. So I went to her bed and asked, 'Do you know sign language?' She raised her hand and said yes. I just thought, 'That's great! That's how we communicate,'” said Leah Vossen.

Even though the road to recovery will be long and difficult, Fitzgerald has many people who will support her.

“We're talking about months, years. We don't know their baseline. This will simply be their new normal and we don't know where we stand yet,” said Leah Vossen.

Fitzgerald's family hopes to raise awareness of AVM and money to cover medical costs. They have formed what they call Sarah's Fight Club. A fundraiser will be held on September 7th at Pat and Dandy's on Laskey Road in Toledo, running from 2-8 p.m.

The benefit includes a silent auction, raffles and prizes, and a band. Find out more here.

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