Support Ines Brito Madeira's Road to Recovery

On Oct. 18, loving friend, daughter, sister, cousin and animal advocate Ines Brito Madeira was in a serious car accident that left her with debilitating injuries. While driving on I-684 to meet friends and family at a wedding in Brewster, NY, she found herself part of a crash that totaled her car, leaving her with a fractured sternum, concussion and full-body bruising.

After taking an ambulance ride and spending time in the hospital, Ines learned she was lucky not only to be alive but to walk away with the injuries she had. Even so, the fractured sternum left her unable to stand up, walk, shower, eat or perform other daily activities without assistance. As part of the slow recovery process, she will also need to attend follow-up appointments to ensure the correct healing of her sternum to allow her lungs to continue inflating and functioning properly.

Beyond the physical and emotional repercussions, Ines is now also facing mounting medical bills, the need for a new car and the financial consequences of being physically unable to work. Ines, who has dedicated her life to helping animals via her career as a vet tech student, pet-sitter, foster, caretaker, rescuer and adopter, still has a long road to recovery ahead.

While she is fortunate to have a supportive family, they, like most working-class families, have limited resources to absorb the rising medical and vehicle costs, neither of which Ines is receiving insurance assistance for. All donations will be deposited directly to Ines and go towards covering these bills, as well as daily necessities until she is able to get back on her feet.

Ines cannot express enough gratitude for everyone's support. Any and all donations are deeply appreciated not only by her and her family but the many animals who love and rely on her for care. If you do not have a few dollars to spare, sharing this GoFundMe is another great way to help Ines as she focuses on healing. Any support means the world to her and she thanks you all from the bottom of her heart.