Hi, my name is Natalee, and I’m writing on behalf of my husband, Cory Leavitt, who is still recovering from a life-changing accident that happened on February 15th, 2025.

Cory an over the road truck driver was driving home to Utah from Missouri in his semi truck, passing through Colorado on I-70, when he pulled into a chain-up area during a snowstorm. A vehicle lost control and struck him at full speed.

He was rushed to the hospital in Lakewood, Colorado, with no belongings and no memory of what happened. By some miracle, he was alert enough to recall my phone number, and a nurse called to tell me he’d been hurt. Cory doesn’t remember anything from the hour before the crash until nearly a week later, and it wasn’t until mid March that he started to regain consistent memory. He had suffered a severe concussion, along with a long list of serious injuries.

The extent of those injuries included:

    •    Multiple facial fractures, including one that required his jaw to be wired shut for eight weeks, the original surgery was misaligned and may have to be redone, broke and aligned and wired shut again down the road

    •    A fractured neck, spine, and leg that have kept him in braces. And limiting him for running for a year

    •    Several broken ribs

    •    Internal bleeding and numerous lacerations

    •    Long-term vision damage, he still suffers from double vision and a rotated eye, which will require surgery, though there’s no guarantee it will fully resolve

all of this with no insurance

His parents and I made the 567-mile drive to Colorado with and our baby girl, leaving our two sons behind with family. We didn’t know what to expect until we spoke to the ICU doctor partway through our trip. When we arrived at the hospital at 3:30 am, Cory was in rough shape. He spent four days in ICU, then three more in a hospital room. Despite the pain, confusion, and trauma, he insisted on coming home after one week and his parents brought back their motor home and we brought him back to Utah to begin the long road to recovery.

Cory’s determination to heal has never wavered. But the reality is, this has been an incredibly hard journey. Cory is the back bone to our family.

We have three young children ages 10, 4, and 2 and I’ve been a stay-at-home mom. Since the accident, I’ve also taken on the role of full time caregiver and driver. Cory’s recovery has gone in stages from being fully dependent like a newborn, to slowly regaining independence, though still battling physical and mental challenges daily and currently can not drive due to vision

Most of his appointments happen in St. George, about an hour away. Between appointments, physical therapy, vision specialists, and follow-ups, Cory typically has 3 or more medical visits a week, often on different days which the kids are usually always at with us.

And now our oldest son recently broke his arm, adding even more to our already full schedule. Getting a job right now just isn’t an option for me as someone needs to drive, manage care, and be present for the kids to chase them down.

Cory wants nothing more than to go back to work. He’s worked hard his whole life, and it’s incredibly difficult for him to be sidelined like this. He’s healing well overall, and we’re hopeful that he’ll be cleared to return in the next few months. But right now, it’s still a “wait and see” situation and rushing back to work just isn’t possible.

Why We’re Asking for Help

When the accident happened, Cory’s sister started a GoFundMe that helped us cover some early expenses. But that fundraiser was closed out at $1,300 before we reached our goal, We were also blessed with some private donations, gift cards and meals that have helped us get by.

We tried to hold off asking for more. We thought we could manage, we thought he would be better. But the truth is, between ongoing medical bills, lost income, travel costs, kids starting school and just keeping the lights on — we’ve reached a point where we can’t do this alone anymore.

To make things even harder, we’ve fallen through the cracks:

    •    Colorado can’t offer help because we’re not residents.

    •    Utah can’t offer help because the accident happened out of state.

We’re doing everything we can to move forward, but we need help closing the gap so Cory can heal safely — and come back strong for our family.

How Donations Will Help:

    •    Travel costs to and from St. George (gas, vehicle maintenance, etc.)

    •    Ongoing medical bills and therapy

    •    Surgery and follow-up care for Cory’s vision

    •    Childcare and support for our kids during appointments

    •    Basic living expenses while Cory remains out of work, helping us keep food on the table

If you’ve read this far, thank you. It means so much to us. Whether you’re able to give, share, or just send kind thoughts, we’re grateful beyond words.

Cory is a fighter, a devoted dad, and the kind of person who hates asking for help. But right now, we really do need a hand getting through this chapter. With your support, we can keep going.

Thank you for being here.

If you would like to donate to our Venmo 

@Cory-Leavitt-1

@Natalee-Leavitt

❤️

• Natalee & Family