MARINA DEL REY : Friends Plan Benefit for Woman Recovering From Brain Surgery

Ana Carranza was a woman who had a lot of things going for her. At 32, the Marina del Rey resident was five months pregnant with her first child. And her husband had just landed a new job in Orange County.

On May 19, everything changed. While sitting at home, the native of Brazil suffered a massive brain aneurysm. The left side of her face was paralyzed. She was nearly blind. She wavered between consciousness and coma.

Her doctors at Brotman Medical Center said Carranza’s only chance for survival was a risky brain operation.

“When somebody tells you your wife is going to die in 24 hours unless she has an operation, but she only has a 5% chance of pulling through the surgery, you start asking yourself, ‘Why me?’ ” said Randy Carranza, Ana’s husband of three years.

But Ana Carranza made it through the operation. And surgeons sewed her cervix shut to help her keep the baby.

Since the operation, the formerly athletic woman has recovered enough to return home. Her memory wavers. The left side of her face is still paralyzed. She is still nearly blind, but she is starting to walk with her husband’s help. Her doctors hope to perform a Cesarean section to deliver the baby in two months. Her prognosis is unclear.

“Everyone is saying it’s a miracle she’s still alive,” Randy Carranza said. “But I know Ana. She’s a fighter. She never stopped trying.”

And she has the help of friends. The health insurance on Randy Carranza’s new job had not gone into effect when his wife had her hemorrhage, and Ana’s job as an executive assistant at a candy company did not have health benefits.

Medical bills so far are close to $500,000. The couple have paid their life savings, $40,000. On Sunday, their friends will hold a benefit concert at 14 Below, a popular Santa Monica nightclub at 14th Street and Santa Monica Boulevard.

“We felt we had to do something,” said pub owner Alan Miller, a longtime friend. The musical lineup for the evening is the Young Dubliners, The Bonedaddys, The Uninvited and the All Star Brazilian Band. The $15 cover charge includes an Italian buffet supplied by Pastamore restaurant next door. Organizers hope to raise $20,000, with all proceeds, including revenue from alcohol sales, going to the Carranzas’ medical fund.

“The only good thing that’s come from this is how my friends have reacted,” Randy Carranza said. “Not only in the support they’re showing me, but how they act toward each other. I think people are appreciating what they have a lot more.”