Hi, my name is Blair, and I’m starting this fundraiser for my mom, Becki Sylvester, who is facing one of the hardest seasons of her life.

Just one week after the birth of my daughter — her first grandchild — and only days before Christmas, my mom slipped on the ice and broke her shoulder, pelvis, and a rib. What we thought would be a strange holiday season and a painful recovery with terrible timing quickly turned into a fight for her life — at a time that should have been filled with joy.

On January 1st, she went into respiratory failure and spent 41 days at St. Charles Hospital. She was intubated twice, underwent a tracheotomy that temporarily took her voice, and suffered a collapsed lung. Doctors ultimately had to surgically remove a serious infection from her lung, leaving her lung function permanently compromised. For a time, she couldn’t speak, swallow, or eat on her own.

But my mom is a fighter. Her doctors told us that her strength and determination made all the difference. After weeks in the ICU, she was finally discharged — weary and facing a long road to recovery — but alive, grateful, and determined.

She moved into a hotel near her doctors while we began modifying her home so she could safely return.

The morning our work on the house was set to begin we received another devastating and world shattering call: her house was on fire — with her dog Bud and our friends’ dog Heckler trapped inside.

Thanks to quick action and sheer determination to save them, we were able to get both dogs out safely. They were rushed to the emergency vet and spent the night receiving oxygen therapy and supportive care. Thanks to the quick response from the La Pine Fire Department and Sunriver Fire Department, the fire was quickly extinguished. Devastatingly, most of the lower level of the home was destroyed, and the rest of the house suffered severe smoke damage.

After surviving a life-threatening medical crisis, my mom is now facing the loss of the place she was supposed to come home to heal — my childhood home.

She is fiercely independent, a devoted single mom, and now a brand-new grandmother. Asking for help does not come easily to her. But she is facing mounting medical bills, rehabilitation costs, temporary housing, extensive rebuilding, and vet expenses for Bud following smoke and carbon monoxide exposure. While family has lovingly cared for him during her hospital stay, part of these funds will help ensure he continues to be safe and cared for while she focuses on healing and rebuilding.

Through it all, she keeps saying, “I will get through this.” And I absolutely believe she will — especially with the support of her community.

If you are able, please consider donating. Any amount, no matter how small, will help my mom rebuild her health, her home, and her life.

Funds will go toward medical expenses, rehabilitation, temporary housing, home repairs, and Bud’s ongoing care.

From our whole family, thank you for your love, prayers, and support.