Relief for Firefighter/EMT Reeves

In 2016, Candy Reeves was a leader in her community's volunteer fire department (Johnson's Crossing VFD). She was a firefighter and EMT. She was named Female firefighter of the year by the Alabama Association of Volunteer Fire Departments on July 23, 2016.  She had a job, a husband, and could dedicate time to her passion of serving her community. Life was good. This all changed on February 23, 2017. Candy was involved in a motor vehicle accident while returning home from her job as a delivery driver for The Cullman Times.  The accident left Candy with a broken pelvis, broken sacrum, broken L1, L5, and S1 vertebras. Additionally, she has 4 disks in her neck that suffer from bulges, compressions, and bone on bone contact.   She was sent to a Level 1 trauma center in Birmingham, AL where she spent several days in the hospital.  When she was able to return home, she was still required to stay in a hospital bed for 8 weeks.  It took 5 long months of physical therapy in order for Candy to regain the ability to walk again. While she has made great strides in her recovery, the process is far from over. Candy is still in a great amount of pain each day, both physically and mentally. Her physical pain prevents her from being able to work. In addition to her neck and back injuries, her pelvis is still not completely healed.  She is in the beginning stages of treatment to attempt to relieve some of her pain. The process could take many more months or possibly years. She is still looking at surgery down the road, once her body has healed enough for surgery. Her mental pain comes from no longer being able to work and function as she did prior to her accident. Her passion in life, the fire service, is out of reach with the injuries. While it may be out of reach, it is still in her mind and she is constantly reminded of what she can no longer do, as her husband Mark, is the Fire Chief at Johnson's Crossing VFD.  Throughout Candy's recovery process, Mark has been by her side whenever possible. Mark has exhausted most of his work leave to assist Candy in her recovery process. Countless miles have been driven back and forth to Drs and therapy sessions. This is a family that was living their dream prior to the accident. The had a home and were able to provide invaluable assistance to their neighbors when called upon. But things changed along with the accident. With Candy no longer being employed, they have been reduced to a single income family. They also have increased expenses due to Candy's ongoing treatment for her injuries. They have managed to stay afloat up until this point but now find themselves needing help financially. Months and months of recovery have taken a toll on their finances. They are now having difficulty paying for housing, food, and gas money. Then there are the deductibles and copays for medical care. They have been there over the years for their community. Now is the time their community can offer their help to the Reeves. All donated money will go to Candy and Mark to assist with medical and life expenses. If you are unable to contribute financially, please consider helping out in some other form. Providing a meal, a ride to the doctor, or simply a note of encouragement for Candy.