Candice Stark 21 & Paralyzed
Donation protected
Just a little bit about Candice Stark
Candice is a Beatiful 21 year old girl that loves animals more than anything and has a passion for art, she loves to stay active and when she isnt working she loves spending time with her family and friends.
September 26, 2016 is the night Candice Stark's life changed forever.
Something Candice regularly did everyday after work was work out with myself, Chris Simon her boyfriend of 5 years, and her best friend SirJean Demont. After our workout in our apartment gym we went for a swim in our pool to cool down and swim some laps just like we always do. Unfortunately Monday wasnt like every other day. We were all racing back and forth in the pool then Candice and I jumped in at the same time to see who could get to the other side first. I was halfway to the other side when I noticed Candice wasnt right next to me like she always was. I immediately stopped swimming and turned around and when I looked back, I noticed Sir Jean pulling her up out of the water. The first thing I heard from across the pool was her gasp for breath and tell me she couldnt feel anything and that she was unable to move any part of her body at all. I held her in my arms and kept her as still as I could while Sir Jean called 911. We impatiently and frantically waited for what seemed like hours for the ambulance to arrive. As soon as they got there, they jumped in the pool with me and helped us get her onto a lifeboard and into an ambulance. They were on the way to Memorial Hermann Woodlands, but called me just after they left to inform me that she would be going to Memorial Hermann Medical Plaza due to the severity of the injury.
I arrived at the hospital only a few minutes after the ambulance and sprinted to the ER to see her, but they had already started running a series of test which made me feel helpless as I sat in the waiting room. Her parents arrived during this time and they were as distraught as I was. We all rushed back to see her as soon as they cleared us to go in, and this is when reality set in and I had to accept this wasnt just a nightmare you could wake up from.
The doctors finally came in with the results from the Catscan and MRI and gave us his prognosis.
"Her neck was broken in half and the force of the break crushed her c5 vertabrae",
leaving her paralyzed from the neck down.
When the doctor said this, we could not believe what we were hearing, and it left us more devastated than any of us have ever experienced in our lives.
She has had 2 surgeries so far. The first one was to remove the c5 vertabrae, and the second one was to put rods in her neck/cervical spine to give it support and perform a spinal fusion, which will make her a pontential candidate for stem cells in the future. She will hopefully be tranferring from ICU into a Physical Rehab (TIRR) through Memorial Herman which is one of the best spinal cord injury Rehabs in the Nation. Candice has remained extremly positive thorugh this entire process and if anyone is going to pull through it will be her.
Everytime I see her, she talks about how she can't wait to get back to caring for all of her animals and making artwork. She is the most caring person I know and doesnt deserve what has happened to her.
She is blessed to have insurance, but they only cover 80% until the out of pocket maximum is met. With all the surgeries and time in the ICU, she already has a hospital bill over $500,000, and the coverage on the rehab is still unknown. Whatever has to be done to give her the best possible care, is what will be done. She has such amazing parents that would do anything for their daughter because they know she would do the same for them in a heartbeat.
The hardest thing financially is of course the portion of medical bills we have to pay, but it is also the rent of our apartment on a month to month basis until she is able to return home. Also with the hospital being downtown, it's costing $200 a week in gas to go there, because we all go at least once a day, and will continue to as long as necessary. Memorial Herman hospital as well as the rehab facility, charges 13.00 daily for parking, and she will be there for at least 30-90 days. We also know she will need a lot of special equipment in the future and I know Insurance will only cover so much. Since she will not be able to return to work for quite a while, due to the extent of her injuries, we are looking to raise funds to put into a savings account for Candice. This will reduce worry and stress on Candice, so she can concentrate on her recovery.
Everything is one day at a time right now, but we all continue to remain hopeful for the future, and we know the Lord will be with her everyday.
Any amount you could give, would be greatly appreciated, there is no amount too small. Even if you are unable to give, a simple prayer for Candice will go a long way.
I want to personally thank you in advance for taking the time out of your day to read this. If theres any advice you would like to offer me or if you just would simply like to say something to lift our spirits, please do. I can use any encouragement that you can give me during this very difficult time.
Sincerly,
Chris Simon
Candice is a Beatiful 21 year old girl that loves animals more than anything and has a passion for art, she loves to stay active and when she isnt working she loves spending time with her family and friends.
September 26, 2016 is the night Candice Stark's life changed forever.
Something Candice regularly did everyday after work was work out with myself, Chris Simon her boyfriend of 5 years, and her best friend SirJean Demont. After our workout in our apartment gym we went for a swim in our pool to cool down and swim some laps just like we always do. Unfortunately Monday wasnt like every other day. We were all racing back and forth in the pool then Candice and I jumped in at the same time to see who could get to the other side first. I was halfway to the other side when I noticed Candice wasnt right next to me like she always was. I immediately stopped swimming and turned around and when I looked back, I noticed Sir Jean pulling her up out of the water. The first thing I heard from across the pool was her gasp for breath and tell me she couldnt feel anything and that she was unable to move any part of her body at all. I held her in my arms and kept her as still as I could while Sir Jean called 911. We impatiently and frantically waited for what seemed like hours for the ambulance to arrive. As soon as they got there, they jumped in the pool with me and helped us get her onto a lifeboard and into an ambulance. They were on the way to Memorial Hermann Woodlands, but called me just after they left to inform me that she would be going to Memorial Hermann Medical Plaza due to the severity of the injury.
I arrived at the hospital only a few minutes after the ambulance and sprinted to the ER to see her, but they had already started running a series of test which made me feel helpless as I sat in the waiting room. Her parents arrived during this time and they were as distraught as I was. We all rushed back to see her as soon as they cleared us to go in, and this is when reality set in and I had to accept this wasnt just a nightmare you could wake up from.
The doctors finally came in with the results from the Catscan and MRI and gave us his prognosis.
"Her neck was broken in half and the force of the break crushed her c5 vertabrae",
leaving her paralyzed from the neck down.
When the doctor said this, we could not believe what we were hearing, and it left us more devastated than any of us have ever experienced in our lives.
She has had 2 surgeries so far. The first one was to remove the c5 vertabrae, and the second one was to put rods in her neck/cervical spine to give it support and perform a spinal fusion, which will make her a pontential candidate for stem cells in the future. She will hopefully be tranferring from ICU into a Physical Rehab (TIRR) through Memorial Herman which is one of the best spinal cord injury Rehabs in the Nation. Candice has remained extremly positive thorugh this entire process and if anyone is going to pull through it will be her.
Everytime I see her, she talks about how she can't wait to get back to caring for all of her animals and making artwork. She is the most caring person I know and doesnt deserve what has happened to her.
She is blessed to have insurance, but they only cover 80% until the out of pocket maximum is met. With all the surgeries and time in the ICU, she already has a hospital bill over $500,000, and the coverage on the rehab is still unknown. Whatever has to be done to give her the best possible care, is what will be done. She has such amazing parents that would do anything for their daughter because they know she would do the same for them in a heartbeat.
The hardest thing financially is of course the portion of medical bills we have to pay, but it is also the rent of our apartment on a month to month basis until she is able to return home. Also with the hospital being downtown, it's costing $200 a week in gas to go there, because we all go at least once a day, and will continue to as long as necessary. Memorial Herman hospital as well as the rehab facility, charges 13.00 daily for parking, and she will be there for at least 30-90 days. We also know she will need a lot of special equipment in the future and I know Insurance will only cover so much. Since she will not be able to return to work for quite a while, due to the extent of her injuries, we are looking to raise funds to put into a savings account for Candice. This will reduce worry and stress on Candice, so she can concentrate on her recovery.
Everything is one day at a time right now, but we all continue to remain hopeful for the future, and we know the Lord will be with her everyday.
Any amount you could give, would be greatly appreciated, there is no amount too small. Even if you are unable to give, a simple prayer for Candice will go a long way.
I want to personally thank you in advance for taking the time out of your day to read this. If theres any advice you would like to offer me or if you just would simply like to say something to lift our spirits, please do. I can use any encouragement that you can give me during this very difficult time.
Sincerly,
Chris Simon
Organizer and beneficiary
Chris Simon
Organizer
Lakewood Forest, TX
Candice Stark
Beneficiary