OTSEGO, Mich. — Cyndi Trobeck’s schedule was never empty, said her son Anthony. She's been mayor of Otsego for two terms and was always on the go, whether helping people out or spending time with her grandchildren.
“My mom at Thanksgiving, the grandchildren were there. She was running around with them. She watches my daughter on Mondays,” Trobeck said during an interview with Fox 17 on Wednesday afternoon. “She had a joy for life that’s contagious to within a matter of weeks now not being able to even answer the questions that the doctors have when they walk in the room.”
Trobeck said for weeks, he and his family have witnessed Cyndi’s health decline rapidly. It all started back in early December when her vision began to deteriorate. She went to an ophthalmologist locally who said it could be dry eye. However, within weeks it worsened.
“It got to the point where she could only kind of see shapes and tell that there were colors there,” Trobeck said. “But it progressed really quickly. She noticed it when she was driving on her way home from, she’s a realtor, showing a house.”
She then sought an additional opinion, seeing doctors at the University of Michigan Ann Arbor. She stayed there a few days and underwent several tests. The results came back clear.
However, her health continued to decline. This time her motor skills and memory began to deteriorate.
“She couldn’t, her hands were just curled. She couldn’t hold silverware,” Trobeck said. “When she went to go adjust her glasses it felt like it took, I mean that’s a function she’s been doing since she was 12.”
Throughout the last two months, Cyndi's been in and out of emergency rooms. Trobeck said her health had gotten so bad that she couldn’t even get off of the couch.
The last time she was admitted to the ER, in early February, she initially came home. But, Trobeck remembered the family taking one look at her and sending her back.
She’s been at Bronson Hospital in Kalamazoo ever since.
“She’s been in the ICU now for about, today’s day 10,” he said. “She’s been on a ventilator the entire time she’s been there. She just recently came out of sedation. All the tests that they’ve ran, everything that they’ve done, all of the scans keep coming back clean. So, we have no idea what’s happening, what’s causing it.”
When asked how emotional this has been on Trobeck and the family he hung his head and teared up.
“I’m sorry. It’s been, it’s been exhausting,” Trobeck said with tears in his eyes. He paused for a few seconds. “For us to be the ones now advocating for her, it’s been really hard putting our hope in thinking that this next test is going to have the answers, this next thing is going to have the answers, just for it to come back clean.”
Tuesday night the family got together and created a GoFundMeto help with medical expenses, which Trobeck described as ‘astronomical.’ Since posting it, over 100 people donated and raised a total of over $13,000.
He said the love and support from the community is what’s helping them get through this difficult time.
“This all happened so quickly. We aren’t guaranteed tomorrow," Trobeck said. "And like everybody’s prayers, that's ultimately the greatest weapon right now is that God is going to be the one who heals.”
***For more information or to contribute to the GoFundMe, click here.***
