GREENFIELD — It’s been like a bad movie that won’t end, Tiffany Russo said.
A medical emergency. A hospitalization. A tragic accident. A funeral.
The last month of her life has brought more heartbreak than she could have imagined.
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Russo, a mother of three, was put in a medically-induced coma at the end of June after she suffered a stroke. While she was still in the hospital, her husband, Rob, was killed when a car he was working to repair fell off its jack and crushed him.
She’s still got a long road ahead of her, physically. Her body bears the scars of emergency medical treatment. She’s missing the hearing in one ear but her doctors hope it’ll come back; the sight in one eye is blurry enough to make her dizzy, so she keeps it closed. She’s been using a walker to help her get around.
Emotionally, she’s drained. Tired and heartbroken. Wishing she could have said a proper goodbye to the man she loves.
But even amid all the aches, pains and troubles, she’s grateful. Grateful that a community she loves has wrapped its arms around her and her girls, lifting them up, showing them the utmost support.
And Saturday, that support culminated in more than $9,000 being raised to help them get through their tough time. Russo, sitting in a comfy armchair along a packed alleyway, music blaring around her, people chattering at her, looked at peace as she offered the occasional wave or hug to a passerby.
Greenfield residents — led by members and coaches of the Greenfield Community Aquatics Team, a year-round competitive swim team that two of Russo’s daughters participated in — hosted a street festival and fundraiser Saturday, which organizers of the event called the H2Ohana Luau.
Ohana means family in the Hawaiian culture, and that’s certainly what the Russos are to the Greenfield swimming community, said coach Emily Logan. So, when swimmers and their parents learned about the hardships one of their own was facing, they rallied together and found a way to help.
More than 100 people packed into the North Street Living Alley on Saturday for music and games, food and drinks. Organizers sold T-shirts, slushies, cupcakes, sandwiches and beer — all proceeds of which went to the family.
Russo and her daughters — 19-year-old Hailey, 17-year-old Hannah and 6-year-old Harper — visited with the friends and relatives who came out to support them, all wearing colorful leis around their necks. A special canopy had been set up from them to sit under, where they could have a bit of privacy while still seeing every bit of the festival being held in their honor.
Their world has certainly turned upside down, but it’s been encouraging to feel such love and kindness from all around them, Tiffany Russo said. She’s been overwhelmed by the outpouring of support her family has received so far from the community, and it’s made things a bit easier for them.
There is little she remembers about her time in the hospital, she said. She went to sleep one evening at the end of June, not feeling well and woke up weeks later to her husband’s voice, telling her she was doing a great job.
Doctors and nurses still aren’t sure what caused her stroke — she’d never had any medical issues before — but she needed to be shocked back to life at least twice and was put in a medically-induced coma because her organs started to fail, she said.
She was set to be transferred to Hancock Regional Hospital, to be closer to home, on the day her husband died.
She’s still not sure why he was working on the car that morning — he was a do-it-yourself kind of person, it was just his nature.
Many visitors came to the hospital to wish her well, and dozens more turned up to the funeral last week that celebrated her husband’s life.
Gas cards have poured in through the mail to help cover the cost of getting to and from doctor’s appointments.
Russo and her daughter had to move away from their Greenfield home for the time being and are living with her parents, Garry and Deborah Liday, in Greenwood. A meal train has kept their refrigerator full for weeks — another blessing from friends, one fewer stress for them to deal with.
The college Hailey attends in Kentucky extended an annual scholarship she already received to ensure it covered the whole of her year’s tuition, footing the cost she would have paid out of pocket. A local donor paid for the books she’ll need as she starts her sophomore semester this month.
Logan connected Hannah, who was heading into her senior year and senior swim season at Greenfield-Central High School, with the coach of the Johnson County high school she’s now attending, making sure the girl will be able to compete one last time, as she would have before tragedy shook her family.
Logan said she and Hannah’s Greenfield teammates will attend her senior night later this year in a further show of support.
It’s been difficult to watch such a loving, caring family go through a terrible time, Logan said.
Tiffany and Rob Russo lived for their girls, and were always front and center at swim meets cheering them on, Logan said.
Hailey, ever the caretaker, has always looked after her younger sisters, and surely does so now more than ever, Logan said. Hannah’s contagious laugh and joyful attitude will help her settle into her new school, though it’ll be missed at the Greenfield pool. Harper, who is always a bundle of energy, will keep them all on their toes.
And Logan hopes they know the swim family in Greenfield, those who planned Saturday’s fundraiser, will be there to help fill any void that might exist now.
“We love you, we support you,” Logan said, “that’s what I hope they know.”