The Baldwin Family Fund
On December 1st, 2014, a freak car accident on Windy Hill Rd. in Smyrna (http://whttp://www.wsbtv.com/news/news/local/police-car-flies-windy-hill-road-hits-suv-injuring/njJXN/) critically injured DeAnna Baldwin, wife and mother of three wonderful teenagers. Her two sons Michael and Jonathan were also in the car as they were on the way to school. Jonathan's pelvis was crushed but he's already had surgery and is on his way to recovery. Michael was lucky to walk away with only minor injuries. 
(Deanna's van can be seen to the right..)
DeAnna however has been in a coma since the accident, and recent MRI results revealed massive brain injuries. Her future is uncertain. 
Deanna is the orchestra teacher at Whitfield Academy in Atlanta, and has taught violin at the Suzuki Talent Education Program for over 18 years. She has also taught violin lessons to my two daughters for the last 7 years. My wife Janna and I have gotten to know DeAnna very well through this period, and always marveled at her positive outlook on life in spite of her family's financial troubles. Her husband Chris, who has been fighting his own medical issues, has been unable to work for the last few years. DeAnna carried the load working full time at Whitfield and teaching the Suzuki program on nights and weekends. She was tireless. In spite of this, DeAnna never complained about her situation, was always smiling, and always had a positive outlook on life.
The accident was senseless. DeAnna was sitting at a stop light in morning rush hour. A car driven at high speed jumped an overpass, flew over 50 feet through the air, and landed on her car (and others).
DeAnna's Whitfield Academy family has stepped up and raised money to help cover the enormous medical bills for both DeAnna and Jonathan. We started this fund to help replace the future income lost due to DeAnna's injuries. If we reach our campaign goals, we can also help with outstanding medical bills, tuition, living expenses, and general comfort for the family. A small donation and a share on your social media page (Facebook/Twitter) will go a long way to help this family in need.
Please continue to pray for DeAnna's healing and her family's strength.
With heavy hearts,
Jim and Janna Valentine,
Carol Stokes,
Suzuki Talent Education Program
All proceeds, less GoFundMe's fees will go directly to the Baldwin Family.
In closing, I thought I'd post her daughter Taylor's most recent Facebook post. It sums up DeAnna perfectly while simultaneously illustrating how great of a job she has done as a mother.
***********************************************************
(Taylor with Deanna)
Tonight, I pray for a miracle.
While we do not know how or how much longer my mom’s life will progress, we do know that of all people in this world, my mom deserves a chance to live her life to the most fulfilling extent that she possibly can. Here’s a little bit about my mama.
She is the weirdest, craziest, silliest, klutziest (is that a word?), and most scatterbrained person I know, by far. Literally. I’ve actually seen her trip over air before. (Then again, I can’t say that I don’t do that every single day of my life.) Also, anyone who knows both of us knows that when we get together, we are a force to be reckoned with, lol. She’s my best friend, and above that, she is my role model.
She is patient and she is wonderfully kind and genuine in all aspects of life. I’ve never seen her treat someone badly. I’ve also never seen her give up on anyone in my entire life even when many people thought that some were not deserving of her love. She lives her life for others, not herself. She is slow to anger while being quick to love and forgiveness. She puts her HEART into EVERYTHING that she does, be it teaching, parenting, listening, talking, hugging, etc.
Just about everything I’ve learned in this lifetime I’ve learned from her. She taught me skills such as playing the violin and teaching, but she also taught me skills such as being gentle-hearted, caring, helpful, and working my hardest.
I am in no means perfect and neither is she but I do know that I strive to be the best that I can be because of her. I love her more than my own life itself and all I will ever want is what’s best for her. I believe more than anything that she deserves our unconditional love, our perseverance, as well as our constant prayer and hope. I also believe in miracles. I really believe that they happen every day and that they can happen to her, too.
Taylor Baldwin