For Sarah McNee...

And in a flash, everything changed...

Hello Friends and Family, 

On October 16th my cousin Sarah McNee was involved in a horrific car accident.  Whilst staying with her Mum in France, Sarah met up with some friends and took an ill-fated turn on a dark country road...  

The accident was unimaginable, and while it looked as though she wouldn't make it, the paramedics were able to resuscitate her twice - once at the scene and then in the helicopter to the hospital.

Due to severe head injuries, Sarah underwent immediate brain surgery to relieve the bleeding and was placed on life support and in an induced coma. 

Five weeks later, and out of the coma,  Sarah did start to show signs of improvement and was able to very slightly respond to commands given by her parents, (e.g. wiggle your toes, squeeze the ball).  Unfortunately, the movements were barely visible and took a huge amount of her energy.  

And then came another blow.

Last week,  she suffered another major setback.  After a nurse noticed some sudden swelling of her face, she was rushed back into surgery to remove water on the brain.  Three separate operations later, she is back to recovering, though admittedly not doing well. 

We were informed a few days ago that she has both meningitis and sepsis.

Since her accident, the family has been understandably panicked and trying to unpack this situation.

Her mother Gill lives in France and drives an hour and a half each way, every day, to spend the day with her daughter.  As no one knows if an individual can hear or comprehend while in a coma, each visit is kept on a very positive note, which is emotionally exhausting.  Gill returns each night to her invalid mother whom she cares for, and is understandably on empty, figuratively and financially - the gas alone is over 1,000 euros a month.

Unfortunately, her father Barry lives in the UK and is only able to see his daughter once a month due to financial constraints.  The last trip he took with his wife cost 800 pounds as Clermont-Ferrand is not an easy place to access. Sarah's siblings Bradley and Claire are also in the UK, so between their flights, car parking fees,  Air BBs, car rentals and gas, it's adding up fast.  

I can't tell you how many times I've come across these GoFundMe campaigns and seen loved ones in need - it's odd and humbling to be writing one myself.

So here's the call to action: I am hoping to raise money ASAP for my family so they may visit Sarah in France.  Not being able to be by her side because of monetary concerns seems cruel on top of this tragedy and I'm hoping this campaign might help allay some financial concerns.  Anything helps and all monies will go towards Sarah and her immediate family's expenses. 

Sorry for such sad news, and if you can't afford to help monetarily, we'll certainly take all the love and light you can muster. 

Thank you all for reading, and please feel free to reach out with any questions.

To Sarah,
We love you.