Dana DiSantis Dana Disantis

As many of you have now heard, Dana suffered a massive stroke on Friday, November 16th while visiting Mia, Taylor, & Emily in Fort Myers and has not been able to gain full consciousness since. She has a long road in front of her and we have started this site to keep family and friends updated in one place.

 First, we want to begin by thanking each and everyone of you for outpouring love, prayers and support. Dana has put everyone she ever met before herself, even complete strangers, and would do anything for any family impacted by what we have experienced and I know she would be comforted in knowing we are receiving this support from you. We love all of you. 

Right now, Dana is battling for her life. She suffered a bilateral ischemic stroke due to a blood clot in her midbrain, the part of your brain that controls involuntary movements- breathing, sight, talking, etc., damaging the entire thalamus. This type of stroke is not only one of the most rare, but one of the most deadly.  Against all odds, she is currently clinically stable in intensive care. With that said, the most important thing for her right now is a positive, stress free environment and endless thoughts/prayers and encouragement. While she is unable to currently gain full consciousness, she is very much aware of what is going on around her like many in a coma.

On top of trying to be by her side 24/7, Nick is running and maintaining his business back in MA, Mia has her studies, and Taylor has work and studies as well. Because of this, daily updates are not feasible. We will update this site as often as possible but please also keep in mind, there may not be updates or changes daily. With this in mind, with Nick running his business and flying back and forth between FL and MA regularly, we ask for any communication to him be at a minimum and please try to filter any questions or concerns through Mia, Taylor, Justin or Emily.

For those local to Florida, given what she is up against, we feel that hospital visits from others is not in her best interest. We know this is tough but hope you can understand that we, as a family, think this is the best option for her. 

Dana is the strongest person we have ever met and we are confident she will clear this hurdle as she has with others in the past. She has always been there for everyone we know and she now needs the same from everyone else. We love you all and please don't forget how much Dana loves you. 

For those who have asked, a GoFundMe has been setup in Dana's name and we will post the link here as well.