Colt Stovall Wounded Warrior Support
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This GoFundMe is being created on behalf of Colt and Tracie Stovall. Colt and Tracie are parents to 5 children, Lauren, Brian, Quaid, Liberty, and Gunnar.
On December 14, 2006, Colt was stationed in Iraq and was the gunner in a Humvee hit by an IED. He suffered massive head trauma, burned esophagus from inhaling flames, and shrapnel all over his body. His most severe injury was to his right leg, which was blown open from the knee to the ankle. After immediate medical care in Iraq, he was placed into a medically-induced coma, flown to Germany, where he received more medical care and surgeries over two days before he was flown to Bethesda Naval Medical Hospital, in Bethesda, MD. While at Bethesda, Colt endured over 30 surgeries to try to piece together and/or fight infections on his right leg. The surgeons were only able to provide a single, grafted bone and skin grafted from his thigh, essentially “creating a leg,” to salvage the leg and attempt to avoid amputation. His right foot was connected but unusable. Colt wore a Halo on his leg for 18 months and endured years of rehabilitation in an attempt to salvage his leg. With the help of a walking brace, Colt relearned to walk but not without serious, daily pain and deterioration of his spine and left side of his body due to compensating with his “good side.” The diagnosis remained that he could eventually lose his leg.
After years of daily struggles attempting to salvage his leg, he and his doctors finally made the decision to have his leg amputated. On June 19, 2019, he was back at Bethesda (now called Walter Reed Medical Center) for the amputation of his right leg below the knee. Colt was in the hospital for 15 days following the amputation as the doctors struggled with pain management but was eventually moved to housing on base. Colt will continue to live on the base as he receives pain management, physical therapy, occupational therapy, and rehabilitation every day. He is being taught to live independently with a wheelchair and is provided “brain training” for his traumatic brain injury (TBI). On July 31, 2019, he took his first steps on a prosthetic leg and will continue to work hard to learn how to walk again (for the 3rd time).
In order for Colt to live a “normal” life, enjoying the regular things we all take for granted, he and Tracie have had to make serious sacrifices. Due to the pain and TBI, Colt has been unable to work regularly over the past year, depleting their personal savings. Now, with the amputation, Colt is not be able to work, leaving Tracie the only one bringing in income while trying to manage Colt’s ongoing care once he returns home. They are running two households – the family home and Colt’s apartment at Walter Reed. In addition, the entire main floor of their family home has to be modified in order for Colt to maneuver his home. Tracie and the kids are currently living without a kitchen, without floors, without furniture and with constant chaos during this time of home reconstruction for Colt. They are exhausting all of the organizations that provide financial assistance in these situations, depleted their savings, maxed out their credit cards, and are now simply not able to pay their bills until Colt is able to return home and find employment.
Please help us support this Wounded Warrior and his hard-working family.
With gratitude,
The Stovall Family
On December 14, 2006, Colt was stationed in Iraq and was the gunner in a Humvee hit by an IED. He suffered massive head trauma, burned esophagus from inhaling flames, and shrapnel all over his body. His most severe injury was to his right leg, which was blown open from the knee to the ankle. After immediate medical care in Iraq, he was placed into a medically-induced coma, flown to Germany, where he received more medical care and surgeries over two days before he was flown to Bethesda Naval Medical Hospital, in Bethesda, MD. While at Bethesda, Colt endured over 30 surgeries to try to piece together and/or fight infections on his right leg. The surgeons were only able to provide a single, grafted bone and skin grafted from his thigh, essentially “creating a leg,” to salvage the leg and attempt to avoid amputation. His right foot was connected but unusable. Colt wore a Halo on his leg for 18 months and endured years of rehabilitation in an attempt to salvage his leg. With the help of a walking brace, Colt relearned to walk but not without serious, daily pain and deterioration of his spine and left side of his body due to compensating with his “good side.” The diagnosis remained that he could eventually lose his leg.
After years of daily struggles attempting to salvage his leg, he and his doctors finally made the decision to have his leg amputated. On June 19, 2019, he was back at Bethesda (now called Walter Reed Medical Center) for the amputation of his right leg below the knee. Colt was in the hospital for 15 days following the amputation as the doctors struggled with pain management but was eventually moved to housing on base. Colt will continue to live on the base as he receives pain management, physical therapy, occupational therapy, and rehabilitation every day. He is being taught to live independently with a wheelchair and is provided “brain training” for his traumatic brain injury (TBI). On July 31, 2019, he took his first steps on a prosthetic leg and will continue to work hard to learn how to walk again (for the 3rd time).
In order for Colt to live a “normal” life, enjoying the regular things we all take for granted, he and Tracie have had to make serious sacrifices. Due to the pain and TBI, Colt has been unable to work regularly over the past year, depleting their personal savings. Now, with the amputation, Colt is not be able to work, leaving Tracie the only one bringing in income while trying to manage Colt’s ongoing care once he returns home. They are running two households – the family home and Colt’s apartment at Walter Reed. In addition, the entire main floor of their family home has to be modified in order for Colt to maneuver his home. Tracie and the kids are currently living without a kitchen, without floors, without furniture and with constant chaos during this time of home reconstruction for Colt. They are exhausting all of the organizations that provide financial assistance in these situations, depleted their savings, maxed out their credit cards, and are now simply not able to pay their bills until Colt is able to return home and find employment.
Please help us support this Wounded Warrior and his hard-working family.
With gratitude,
The Stovall Family
Co-organizers (3)
Jessica Stovall
Organizer
East Peoria, IL
Tracie Stovall
Beneficiary
Colt Stovall
Co-organizer
Tracie Stovall
Co-organizer