PRHHEALTH
Miracle
Mia
for
Hope
by Maria Merlino
H E A LT H
Big Charlie’s Saloon on 11th and McKean recently hosted the Miracle for Mia Hope fundraiser. With tears in his eyes, Marc Andrilla could barely speak as he looked out over the crowd that spilled into the streets. “As her dad, it’s very hard for me to talk about it. It’s extremely devastating. Today, the emotions are running high, and I’m overwhelmed with the outpouring of love and support.” His daughter, Mia, is a bright, vibrant 19-year-old, whose life was turned upside down on August 11th. One minute she was beginning her morning routine and the next minute, she found herself on the floor paralyzed by an extremely rare and critical
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medical condition known as a spinal stroke. According to her parents, she was fully paralyzed from the shoulders down. Her mother Stephanie Andrilla, an oncology nurse, took leave from her job to care for her daughter full time. Currently, Mia is in a rehabilitation hospital, where she faces each day with determination and high spirits thanks to the outpouring of love and support from her family, friends and community. Friend Denise DeMarco coordinated the event and was thrilled to see such a positive response from the neighborhood. “Everything from food to entertainment was donated,” she said of everyone’s generosity. “DJ Mark Messina, Stephie’s Caterers,
| ROWHOME MAGAZINE | October / November / December 2021
Stogie Joe’s, Mike’s BBQ, City Pizza, Celebration Caterers, Acme Market, Philip Sessa’s Bouncy House, Passyunk Avenue and 9th Street - everywhere from New Jersey to Kansas City – participated and so many more that are too numerous to name,” she said. “We’re so grateful for all of them. Not one person said no.” DeMarco said the money raised will go towards retrofitting Mia’s house to make it more accessible for her. The cost of renovations, both interior and exterior, can run in the tens of thousands of dollars so friends of the Andrilla family started a GoFundMe page with a goal of raising $75,000. For details or to donate, log onto gofundme.com, Miracle for Mia Hope. PRH
gohomephilly.com
