Blake Shanks
Donation protected
On September 9th, 2020, Blake was in a skateboarding accident where he suffered a severely traumatic brain injury. Blake was on his longboard coming down a small grade hill in the Valley Center area in Southern California when the accident happened. Skateboarding is something Blake had done his entire life and was second nature to him. This was truly a freak accident. We are forever grateful that his girlfriend Jessica was there to administer first aid and emergency help while the paramedics were on their way. Blake was life-flighted to Palomar Medical Center in Escondido where he was rushed into emergency neurosurgery.
The prognosis was grim as Blake’s neurosurgeon informed us that he did not expect Blake to survive through the night...but he did. It was truly miraculous. The next two plus weeks of Blake’s life in the ICU were minute to minute. The neurosurgeon had removed a large portion of the left side of Blake’s skull and he was sedated to the point of a coma. For two plus weeks we waited and prayed. All we wanted was for the pressure in his brain to subside so we could see if he would wake. We were so blessed that the day finally came.
Since then, Blake has undergone 6 major brain surgeries and countless procedures to get him to where he is today. Blake had spent almost 3 months going from the ICU at Palomar Medical Center to acute rehab and back to the ICU at Kaiser. Blake was finally discharged from Kaiser hospital (yay!) on Nov 17th and is now home with his family. The road to recovery will be long as there is no way to currently tell the full extent of his injuries but we are excited for the opportunity to be on this journey with him.
Blake is currently being cared for by his father (Pat) and sister (Summer) here in San Diego. Blake’s mother and her husband (Sheri and Paul) are also here in San Diego spending as much time as possible with Blake. Blake’s girlfriend (Jessica) has also been a tremendous help to our family and Blake in the recovery process. Blake has a team of in home nurses, therapists, and medical professionals that are currently coming to the home weekly.
We are a very humble family that normally would not reach out to our friends/family for monetary help, but this situation is truly unique. We would like to make sure that when Blake is able to be more independent, he is taken care of. Blake has not been able to work at a full time status since March due to Covid-19 and now with the TBI (traumatic brain injury) we are unsure when he will be able to return to work and at what capacity. Although we are very hopeful for a full recovery, there is no guarantee and it could be up to a year before we know the full extent of his injuries. We truly understand how taxing this year has been on everyone and their families but if you could find it in your heart to donate to Blake, our family would be forever grateful. We appreciate you all for the support and love you’ve shown our family over the last few months. We wish you all a happy holidays and we look forward to giving another positive update on Blake in the future.
The prognosis was grim as Blake’s neurosurgeon informed us that he did not expect Blake to survive through the night...but he did. It was truly miraculous. The next two plus weeks of Blake’s life in the ICU were minute to minute. The neurosurgeon had removed a large portion of the left side of Blake’s skull and he was sedated to the point of a coma. For two plus weeks we waited and prayed. All we wanted was for the pressure in his brain to subside so we could see if he would wake. We were so blessed that the day finally came.
Since then, Blake has undergone 6 major brain surgeries and countless procedures to get him to where he is today. Blake had spent almost 3 months going from the ICU at Palomar Medical Center to acute rehab and back to the ICU at Kaiser. Blake was finally discharged from Kaiser hospital (yay!) on Nov 17th and is now home with his family. The road to recovery will be long as there is no way to currently tell the full extent of his injuries but we are excited for the opportunity to be on this journey with him.
Blake is currently being cared for by his father (Pat) and sister (Summer) here in San Diego. Blake’s mother and her husband (Sheri and Paul) are also here in San Diego spending as much time as possible with Blake. Blake’s girlfriend (Jessica) has also been a tremendous help to our family and Blake in the recovery process. Blake has a team of in home nurses, therapists, and medical professionals that are currently coming to the home weekly.
We are a very humble family that normally would not reach out to our friends/family for monetary help, but this situation is truly unique. We would like to make sure that when Blake is able to be more independent, he is taken care of. Blake has not been able to work at a full time status since March due to Covid-19 and now with the TBI (traumatic brain injury) we are unsure when he will be able to return to work and at what capacity. Although we are very hopeful for a full recovery, there is no guarantee and it could be up to a year before we know the full extent of his injuries. We truly understand how taxing this year has been on everyone and their families but if you could find it in your heart to donate to Blake, our family would be forever grateful. We appreciate you all for the support and love you’ve shown our family over the last few months. We wish you all a happy holidays and we look forward to giving another positive update on Blake in the future.
Organizer and beneficiary
Summer Shanks
Organizer
San Diego, CA
Pat Shanks
Beneficiary