San Francisco Giants fan Giselle with her daughter, Giselle Elizabeth
You may not know her,
but you have helped both her and her family.
“I’m not sure where I would be without Schurig Center.
I would be lost, at home doing nothing, afraid to go out.”
At age of 56, Giselle was enjoying the life she had worked so hard to create. She had been a nurse at San Francisco General Hospital for 30 years and had no plans to retire any time soon.
Then, in 2011, Giselle had several days filled with excruciating headaches. The pain became so severe that her daughter, Giselle Elizabeth, rushed her to the hospital. It turned out that she was experiencing a stroke. “That is all I remember and the next six months were a blur,” said Giselle.
A stroke happens every 40 seconds in the U.S. and is the leading cause of long-term disability.
Grief, sadness, and an overwhelming sense of loss after a stroke are typical feelings for both the survivor and the family members. “It seemed as if the rug had been pulled out from under us,” says Giselle Elizabeth, a San Francisco police officer.
“My mom felt like she had lost part of her identity and purpose. And I was overwhelmed by having to become my mother’s caregiver and having our roles reversed.” In her quest for find help for her mom, Giselle Elizabeth found Schurig Center.
“Schurig Center was the only place in the Bay Area that could
tailor programs and services to fit my mom’s skill level.”
Here at Schurig Center, Giselle participates in several programs, including a support group facilitated by a licensed neuropsychologist, a brain wellness course, a therapeutic poetry group, gardening, adaptive yoga, and resource referral assistance. Her daughter, Giselle Elizabeth, attends supportive and educational services to address the many concerns faced by caregivers.
