As many of you reading this have been closely following Brookelin's medical journey, you already know what an intense and emotional rollercoaster it has been. You also know now, if you didn't know before, what an incredibly strong, graceful, courageous, and inspirational woman Brookelin is. She has touched all of our lives with her generous, nurturing, free spirit. As she begins her recovery and healing, it is time for all of us to return the generous support and love that Brookelin has always extended to us.
THE STORY SO FAR
On January 15th, while leading a remote Barre training from her home studio, Brookelin was overcome with nausea and headache. These symptoms became debilitating and persisted for several days. On Tuesday, January 25th, Brookelin entered Porter Adventist Hospital in Denver for emergency treatment for symptoms associated with a stroke. An MRI revealed a large mass on her brain. After further examination, she was diagnosed with a Stage 4 Glioblastoma on her brain that would require Craniotomy surgery, Chemo and Radiation Therapy. After rounds of IV Steroid treatment for brain swelling, she was released from the hospital and instructed to wait for a surgery date while under the watchful and caring eyes of her beloved fiancé, Dave, and one of her dearest friends, Ann Dillon. While resting at home, she began to develop more progressive symptoms, and returned to the Emergency Room, this time at Swedish Medical, on Monday, January 31st.
After another rigorous evaluation, it was determined that her situation had advanced and surgery could not be delayed any further. Brookelin courageously agreed, notified her friends and family, and prepared for surgery. On the evening of Wednesday, February 2nd, just as over 40 of her friends and family members gathered online for a Prayer Circle, led by her dear friend, Nixie, we received the news from her surgeon that she did not, in fact, have a cancerous tumor, but rather a very large abscess on her brain. The surgeon was able to drain the abscess without a full craniotomy and Brookelin was moved to recovery. She woke up from anesthesia shortly after, believing she was still leading a Barre training and that the people in her hospital room were backup dancers. In true Brookelin spirit, she even asked them if they needed anything.
While this was miraculous news to all those that feared the worst, including her medical team, the work of starting to investigate the origination of the infection that caused the abscess and a long road to recovery has just begun. For up to date information, visit the "JOURNAL" tab of this site to check for news.
Please feel free to share this page with anyone wishing to support Brookelin on her journey to a full recovery.
Let's all come together to help our dearest and most magical of friends get through this difficult time of need.
With Love and Light, Julie and Jon Zerivitz, Ann Dillon, Nixie Marie, Rozzie and Stacie Gottlieb and of course, Dave and Brookelin
