Supporting Tara's next step

From Advanced Training July 1st to ICU August 25th

See updates for the very latest!!!!! This is a long story but has a great ending. We still need help. Be sure to go to the updates after you read. About 8 weeks ago my daughter and grandson said their goodbyes and hugged Tara, sending her off to her first duty station in Seattle, WA. to continue her Army career. No thoughts crossing their mind that this would be the last time they saw her whole. She was full of excitement and hope about what was to come.

At 5:00 AM August 25th, 2023 I was startled with a knock on my door by my local sheriff's office telling me I had to call family because of an emergency. I was devasted when Tara's mother told me my 20 year old granddaughter was on life support in Seattle. HOW COULD THIS BE? WHY? WILL SHE SURVIVE? Tara's mom, brother, grandmother, and aunt were scrambling for plane tickets to Seattle before it was too late. I arrived two hours after they got there.

There had been a catastrophic event that was threatening her life. The picture you see doesn't tell the whole story. There are 2 banks of IV controllers with 12 bags of IV liquids, three tubes going down her throat, a breathing assist machine, and a body cooling machine to regulate her body temperature, and an oversized neck brace. She is unable to respond to directives to open her eyes. THERE WAS NO RESPONSE, NOTHING! No reaction to pain. The prognosis was and still is extremely dismal. A totally different Tara than when we said goodbye 2 months ago.

The Army ICU is putting forward a herculean effort, with many specialists involved, doing every test and procedure possible. However, the diagnosis remains dismal.

Tara's mom is shattered. Her brother is devastated as they are very close. Tara's mom (single mom) remains at her bedside reading and talking to her to keep her stimulated as the medical staff tell us that even though she is sedated/comatose she can still hear and doing this will hopefully stimulate her brain. The strain is unbearable.

Adding to the stress are the worries of helping her son, loss of income to pay for house, car, and everyday expenses. The Army is covering the hospital costs, expenses for lodging for a while, but there are costs they do not cover. The need for legal assistance (lawyer) for guardianship paperwork and court costs, airline tickets for Aunt and grandmother to help and support Tara's mom, food, etc. for the family, costs for a long-term care facility from the time Tara is medically discharged and the time the VA starts paying for the facility. This is where we need help. If you have had a traumatic experience, you know about the unexpected costs of getting to the injured and staying with them. Tara's mom is a 3rd grade teacher. She loves children. She has always been the one to help children with learning difficulties. The impact of now having a daughter that needs 100 percent care is overwhelming.

Please consider a donation to help cover these unexpected emergency expenses and loss of income. Any amount is welcome. For the next several months, the estimated need is $35,000. Again, this need includes legal expenses to get guardianship (estimated at 5 to 10 thousand dollars) and costs of care once accepted by care facility until Medicaid/disability/VA medical payments start to take over. All prayers for the intervention of the Great Physician are appreciated and coveted.

See updates for the latest news!!