Casandra Gilmore

Casandra Gilmore is a 17 year-old beautiful, outgoing girl who is full of life. Those who know Casandra know she has so many goals and aspirations in life. One of those goals is to become a nurse. She is currently a junior at John F. Kennedy High School. Unfortunately, Casandra was in a life changing ATV accident on July 28, 2018. The doctors say she is a very lucky girl because her accident could have been fatal. Prayers from family and friends, a lot of work from doctors, but most of all God, has given Casandra the strength to live. Casandra has been in the hospital day and night for the past three months. Her first couple of weeks were very hard. She had a couple of surgeries on her neck, a lot of pain and uncertainty for her recovery. Fast forward to now, she is at Craig Hospital in Englewood, Colorado. Although the doctors say her recovery has been a quick one, she is still not at 100%. She cannot walk or do many things on her own and has to be in a wheelchair. Her mom, aunties, cousins and sister have been by her side day and night alternating night shifts to spend the night at the hospital. Her mom is a single mom and had to stop working since the accident. She has only been able to keep up with bills thanks to family and friends. She spends all day and some nights with Casandra due to her needing help with a lot of different things, for example eating or adjusting her body position. Her dad and his family have been present to help with what they can but due to them living in a different state, it hasn't been easy. According to doctors, Casandra's full recovery will be a slow process because her body will need to heal on its own. She is going through a lot of therapy and is being schooled at the hospital. Although we would love for her to continue her recovery at the hospital it has become very expensive. She is scheduled to go home October 24, 2018. Not only will the family have to deal with the hospital expenses, but Casandra will also require a special van to transport from home to therapies. Their home also needs adjustments like a ramp, bigger door ways and many more things. We all have hope and faith that Casandra will not need a wheelchair much longer. But for now we are asking for your help to keep this family afloat. The process has been a very long one for all her family, specially Casandra and her mom. One thing we know is that Casandra is a fighter. Everyday she wakes up and although some days are hard, she keeps pushing. Although her plans are on hold, we are praying it will only be temporary. Anything you can donate will be appreciated and will help. Thank you for your time.