A Mother's Worst Nightmare - Funds for Steph Mason

My name is Meredith and I've started this GoFundMe and plea for help for my sister Stephanie Mason and my nephew Brayden. We, and many can relate, find it difficult to reach out and ask for help. But this is a next-level situation and I'm here to ask for help on behalf of Steph and Brayd.

Hearing my sister run down the horror of getting the phone call late at night is absolutely heart-wrenching. A stranger on the other end of the line says "You're son has been in an accident. I have your son, come quick!" and "Your car is up in flames! Come quick!". Not being able to speak to him and hear that he's okay. The helpless feeling of not being able to easily get there quick because he had your only car. Finally arriving on scene, seeing the dead deer on the road, the multiple fire engines, numerous police cars and ambulances... running towards a semi-recognizable car slammed into a tree and actively burning on fire... screaming with complete desperation "WHERE IS MY SON!!!??!?!?" A mother's worst nightmare.

Steph is a single mom of four. Her children are her world! Brayden has stepped up in many ways to fill the shoes of "man of the house". He is a rock in her life. They have endured and persevered through SO MUCH over the last several years. It begs the question, How much can this family take? When will they get cut a freakin break?

Brayden is going to physically survive this accident, thank God. But he has a really long road to recovery. As of this posting, he is looking ahead at multiple surgeries to repair his shattered lower leg, broken clavicle, broken nose... in addition to continued healing from his collapsed lung, multiple lacerations and bruises. I might be leaving some out (unintentionally). And then there are things they will likely never recover from... the traumatic experience overall including that late night phone call.

Steph is a hardworking single mom who often forgoes sleep to commit to raising her children and passionately dedicating herself to her specialty/custom cake and cookie business. A business, her only income, that will also be affected by this terrible accident.

She's looking at a future filled with mounting medical bills, insurance claims to sort out, loss of income... in addition to figuring out how to get a new vehicle as well as temporary transportation until much of that can be sorted out. She has been a trooper over the last years to scrape by as best as she could navigating several challenges to keep food on the table and a roof over their heads. This is a big setback, but no doubt she will persevere yet again. She's a toughie, but she needs a break. My hope is that with all of our help, we can attempt to provide a fraction of financial comfort as she moves forward. Any contribution big or small will be significantly appreciated. xoxo