'Beautiful' mum of two paralysed on one side after 'tragedy strikes'

'Beautiful' mum of two paralysed on one side after 'tragedy strikes' Kayele was left 'fighting for her life' but her family are determined to do everything they can A 'beautiful' young mum has been left paralysed down one side of her body after 'tragedy' struck. Now the family of Kayele Sheppard are trying desperately to raise £150,000. Kayele, 39, was airlifted to hospital after a blood clot travelled to her brain, causing a catastrophic stroke that left her battling for her life. The mother of two then suffered a major brain bleed the very next day, requiring further emergency surgery. Now her family is frantically attempting to raise £150,000 to finance specialist rehabilitation and give her the greatest possible chance of making a recovery. In a heartbreaking statement, her loved ones revealed that Kayele, from Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, came close to death while pregnant with her son Archie, after suffering a tear in her aorta. She underwent life-saving surgery and was fitted with mechanical heart valves. The family said: "At just 39 years old, our beautiful Kayele has been fighting for her life. "Twelve years ago, whilst pregnant with her son Archie, Kayele almost died after suffering a tear in her aorta. She underwent life-saving surgery and was fitted with mechanical heart valves. "Against all odds, she survived. But earlier this year, tragedy struck again. "Whilst driving, a large blood clot broke away from Kayele's heart and travelled to her brain, causing a catastrophic stroke." Kayele was rushed to Royal Preston Hospital, where surgeons performed an emergency thrombectomy, a procedure which involves removing the clot from a vein or artery. Yet the following day she suffered a devastating brain bleed, forcing her family to make the heartbreaking decision to consent to yet another life-saving procedure. A decompressive craniectomy was carried out to ease the pressure and swelling on her brain, and Kayele was placed in a medically induced coma. Seven days later, doctors restarted the blood-thinning medication she requires due to her mechanical heart valves. But she suffered another brain bleed and needed further emergency surgery. For 20 harrowing days, her family waited anxiously and prayed for her to regain consciousness. Against all the odds, Kayele eventually came round, was taken off the ventilator and began breathing on her own. She is currently receiving treatment at Furness General Hospital in Barrow. However, the stroke has left her paralysed down her right side, while her speech and ability to communicate have been drastically affected. She is undergoing physiotherapy and speech therapy, but her family say she urgently requires far more intensive specialist neurological rehabilitation. They have been informed that private specialist treatment could cost between £4,500 and £8,500 a week, with six months of care potentially reaching £221,000. Kayele's family want to raise £150,000 on gofundme Kayele has been funded for 12 weeks of NHS rehabilitation, while private medical insurance was out of reach due to her previous medical history. Her family are initially hoping to raise £150,000 to contribute towards specialist rehabilitation and ongoing recovery support. They said: "Above everything, we want Kayele to have the best possible quality of life with her two sons, C-Jay and Archie. To be able to communicate with them, tell them she loves them, share memories, and hopefully regain the ability to walk and enjoy everyday life with her boys. "Nobody can promise what Kayele's recovery will look like, but we want to give her every possible opportunity. Kayele has already fought for her life twice. "Now it's our turn to fight for her future. Let's give Kayele the chance to live, not just survive." More than £40,000 had been raised towards the £150,000 target at the time of writing. Siobhan Rooke, speaking on behalf of Kayele's family, said: "For someone with injuries as extensive as hers, recovery could take years, and access to continued specialist rehabilitation could make an enormous difference to her future independence and quality of life. "As Kayele's friends and family, we refuse to give up on giving her the best possible chance of recovery. She had her whole future ahead of her before this unimaginable tragedy, and she has already fought through multiple life-threatening complications – her strength and determination to survive have been nothing short of extraordinary." Visit the gofundme page on the family's appeal here.