Help Heal a Hero
Donation protected
Emily was involved in a skydiving accident on November 26th, 2017. She was an instructor on an accelerated free fall level 1 jump. The jump did not go as was planned and practiced on the ground. Emily chased the student through the student’s normal pull altitude, putting aside her safety, catching and deploying their parachute for them around 2,200 feet. Once she was clear of her student, Emily deployed her own parachute. As her main opened, her automatic activation device deployed her reserve also. At approximately 500 feet Emily had two parachutes in a biplane configuration. Between 100 and 200 feet above the ground the parachutes began to separate. She attempted to keep the parachutes above her head as much as possible. Emily impacted the ground about half a mile west-northwest of the drop zone (DZ) on a rocky hillside.
Her injuries were serious, but she is still with us! Help from the DZ arrived within ten minutes of impact which included her husband. He stabilized her, addressed her injuries and coordinated life flight. About 50 minutes later she was on her way to Scripps Mercy. Emily’s injuries included: broken left femur (fixed with an IM nail), multiple pelvic fractures, five broken ribs on her left, two broken ribs on her right, a bleed in her left frontal lobe, and two small brain bruises. Emily was unconscious until December 6th when she woke up about 3:30 am and decided to try to take a selfie (with the phone Ricky had fallen asleep next to her in his hand) to see what she looked like with all the tubes in. Emily was at Scripps Mercy until Dec 10th, Navy Medical Center San Diego Balboa through Dec 14th, and finally San Diego Rehab until Dec 23rd when she finally was able to go home.
While all of her fractured bones have healed, or are almost fully healed, her brain is struggling. Her traumatic brain injury has escalated to a point which is no longer manageable in the comfort of her own home with her husband taking care of her. She is both confused and combative. We ask that everyone comes together as a community to help get her the care that her brain needs. In order for her brain to get the proper care it needs to heal, she will need to be in a 24 hour care facility which specializes in traumatic brain injuries as well as cognitive and behavioral therapies.
The hope is that in 6 months to 1 year, Emily will be ready to live at home again. Casa Colina in Apply Valley is holding a bed for her. The costs for this care facility are $700-$900 per day, depending on the level of care she will require. We are setting a goal of $200,000 so that she could be covered for at least 6 months of care regardless of insurance input. Emily is a hero. She is brave, she is strong, she is fighting, and she fiercely needs our help.
Her injuries were serious, but she is still with us! Help from the DZ arrived within ten minutes of impact which included her husband. He stabilized her, addressed her injuries and coordinated life flight. About 50 minutes later she was on her way to Scripps Mercy. Emily’s injuries included: broken left femur (fixed with an IM nail), multiple pelvic fractures, five broken ribs on her left, two broken ribs on her right, a bleed in her left frontal lobe, and two small brain bruises. Emily was unconscious until December 6th when she woke up about 3:30 am and decided to try to take a selfie (with the phone Ricky had fallen asleep next to her in his hand) to see what she looked like with all the tubes in. Emily was at Scripps Mercy until Dec 10th, Navy Medical Center San Diego Balboa through Dec 14th, and finally San Diego Rehab until Dec 23rd when she finally was able to go home.
While all of her fractured bones have healed, or are almost fully healed, her brain is struggling. Her traumatic brain injury has escalated to a point which is no longer manageable in the comfort of her own home with her husband taking care of her. She is both confused and combative. We ask that everyone comes together as a community to help get her the care that her brain needs. In order for her brain to get the proper care it needs to heal, she will need to be in a 24 hour care facility which specializes in traumatic brain injuries as well as cognitive and behavioral therapies.
The hope is that in 6 months to 1 year, Emily will be ready to live at home again. Casa Colina in Apply Valley is holding a bed for her. The costs for this care facility are $700-$900 per day, depending on the level of care she will require. We are setting a goal of $200,000 so that she could be covered for at least 6 months of care regardless of insurance input. Emily is a hero. She is brave, she is strong, she is fighting, and she fiercely needs our help.
Organizer and beneficiary
Blue Hair I Care
Organizer
Spring Valley, CA
Ricky Nelson
Beneficiary