Anti-lockdown activist Shelley Luther’s brain scans ‘showed signs of stroke’ after surgery
Dallas salon owner and political activist Shelley Luther’s prognosis has not improved with brain scans showing, “signs of stroke,” after multiple surgeries to repair a ruptured brain aneurysm, her husband Tim Georgeff wrote in a Facebook post Tuesday evening.
While it’s not clear from the post whether Luther suffered a stroke, doctors will continue to monitor her condition for the next seven to ten days to prevent a stroke from happening and repair further blockages, he wrote.
“If we make it that far, after that everything is unknown,” he wrote.
Luther hasn’t been able to open her eyes without stimulation, however, in a private moment between her and her husband, she was able to open her eyes briefly without prompting, Georgeff wrote.
“A friend I grew up with called to check on me and told me to never let that moment go. I won’t. And my prayer continues, ‘Lord, wake her up,” he wrote.
On Wednesday, Georgeff took to Luther’s public Facebook page to announce friends of the couple had set up a crowdfunding campaign to help them financially while Luther is hospitalized.
Georgeff is a professional pianist, and hasn’t been able to earn income through performing during Luther’s hospitalization.
“While it’s somewhat embarrassing, and in no way are we placing our burdens on anyone else, the harsh reality is this situation is long term, and is severely impacting how our lives are going to be moving forward,” he wrote.
The campaign has raised $12,587 from 170 donors as of 9:30 a.m. Wednesday.
Georgeff announced Luther’s aneurysm in an afternoon post on April 5 before posting an update later that evening.
He thanked well-wishers for their prayers, saying he was overwhelmed by people’s offers of help.
“I’m just living minute to minute waiting for my favorite person to wake up,” he said.
Luther rose to prominence in 2020 when she was arrested after refusing to close her salon in violation of Gov. Greg Abbott’s COVID-19 orders designed to curb the spread of the coronavirus.
She also ran an unsuccessful campaign for a Texas House seat during which she received criticism for a Tweet calling for Chinese students to be banned from Texas universities.
She later clarified that her comments were aimed at international students from China rather than Chinese Americans.
Former Texas gubernatorial candidate Don Huffines joined Georgeff’s call for prayer, sharing his post on Twitter.
Luther was an important part of the move to open up Texas, said Warren Norred, an Arlington attorney who represented Luther in 2020.
He called her an inspiration to people around the world, and said he’s prayerfully optimistic she’ll make a recovery.
A brain aneurysm is a ballooning or bulge of a blood vessel in the brain.
They’re common and often not serious; however, they can become life threatening if they rupture, according to the Mayo Clinic.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
