Amber's Funky Elbow Fund

As many of you may know, video production, storytelling, and helping others are my biggest passions. In fact, I've been fortunate enough to translate these things into a burgeoning career. But sometimes life comes at you fast and you need to lean on others for help.

On January 24th, I was up in Salem, Massachusetts working as a production assistant. We had moved from our interior setting to go shoot footage along the beach/on a nearby pier. I was operating the second camera on one of the docks and trying to get a wider shot, when my left foot slipped. The camera setup and I fell at least 15 feet onto the beach below, narrowly missing the water.

I opened my eyes and had immediate throbbing pain in my right arm. It turns out while bracing myself for the impact, I dislocated and shattered a significant part of my right elbow. I was helped off the beach and up the seawall by my fantastic director, the talent, and a kind woman walking her dog. 

(A behind-the-scenes shot I took before everything went to hell.)

The director sped me to the nearest hospital and my elbow was put back into place the best they could. I was then transported by ambulance all the way down to MGH in Boston due to the severity of my injury and concerns about not being able to feel my fingers. After a full night of X-rays, CT scans, and pain medication, I was released early the next morning and had elbow surgery scheduled a few days later. 

(Here I am in the ER at North Shore Medical, no glasses, lots of sand)

On February 5th, I began the long journey back to being able to use both arms. During my surgery, they replaced my radial head and tediously removed shards of bone. According to my doctors, my recovery timeline goes until late spring/early summer. Since my surgery, I have had at least one-two doctor's appointments per week, primarily occupational therapy, physical therapy, and surgery follow-ups. So far I've slowly recovered my ability to partially extend my right arm, but flexing is still really difficult and my right thumb doesn't fully bend no matter how hard I try. It's an incredibly painful process, physically and mentally.

(My amazing caregiver in her favorite Snuggie waving hello early in my recovery.)

I have been unable to use my right hand and arm to its full capacity since January. It's made it immensely difficult to do just about anything without significant help. Everyday tasks like bathing, opening a Ziploc bag, and typing have taken a lot of adjustment and assistance to do. Worst of all, I have lost a significant amount of potential income due to my limitations while I recover. My current part-time job has been amazing through all this, but overall this is a BIG financial strain. I'm a grad student and media professional trying to further my career while also dealing with a pretty intense situation. That's why I am swallowing my pride and asking for help.

I've debated setting up a fundraiser for a bit, but if I've learned anything from all this, it's better to ask for help than to struggle alone in frustration and fear. If you can donate anything at all, I would deeply appreciate it. 

This fundraiser is aimed at helping me cover bills and (hopefully) getting a new pair of glasses as mine were lost in the first emergency room the day of my accident.