AustinStrong: Donate to Austins Healing Journey

On behalf of the Setters family:

On December 25th, Austin Setters, my grandson, was in a life-threatening car accident. Austin's parents, Paige and Bill Setters, were quick to arrive on the scene after receiving the phone call no parent ever wants to receive. Upon arriving, Austin was clinging to life with a faint pulse. Austin sustained severe head trauma and a collapsed lung, among multiple other life-threatening injuries that followed. He was life-flighted to the nearest trauma hospital, UC in Cincinnati, Ohio, where he underwent an emergency craniectomy to relieve the building pressure on his brain. In the days that followed, he faced numerous challenges, including a tracheostomy to aid his breathing, G and J tube for medicines and feedings, multiple scans and testing, and a drain tube for his brain fluid build-up that eventually led to a shunt being needed. These are to name a few.

Thanks to his incredible determination and strength, Austin has made significant progress—he has been accepted into Cincinnati Children's extensive in-patient TBI therapy, and that is where he currently is working on building his skills.

Austin remains working tirelessly with speech, physical, and occupational therapy, plus additional therapies. His road to recovery is still unclear, and there are many unknowns ahead. But if there’s one thing we do know, it’s that Austin is a fighter. He is ambitious, stubborn, determined, and giving this recovery everything he’s got.

While we are incredibly grateful for his resilience and the care he’s receiving, his journey is far from over. He will require extensive rehabilitation even after he is discharged, and the medical expenses continue to mount. This includes the decision to either make modifications to their current family home, making it handicap accessible, or sell their home and find something quickly, along with purchasing a vehicle suitable for Austin's needs. Our family has been by Austin's side every step of the way—his siblings and parents have taken time off from work and school and put their lives on hold to support him. Beyond medical bills and medical equipment that will be needed, there are many circumstantial costs that have come with this unexpected tragedy, including travel, lodging, and lost wages for his family as they continue to be there for him.

We are reaching out to our community, friends, and anyone who is willing to help Austin recover from his severe brain injury. All funds raised will distributed directly to the Setters' family to help with the costs associated with his recovery. This includes medical expenses, rehabilitation, necessary equipment, extraneous life costs, and miscellaneous bills related to his ongoing needs.

We ask you to please uplift Austin and his family in your prayers. There is no donation too small, and if you are unable to donate at this time, we ask that you share Austin's story to help us get the support he and his family desperately need and deserve.

Thank you for your kindness, generosity, and support. We are forever grateful.

#AustinStrong