This month marks five years since my big brother Danny was in a near-fatal car accident, after swerving to avoid a herd of elk in Montana.

Danny sustained a serious spinal cord injury, leaving him paralyzed from the chest down. He spent months in and out of the ICU before being transferred to a rehabilitation nursing home to begin recovery. But instead of healing, things got worse.

Inside the facility, he developed pneumonia, MRSA, stage 4 bedsores, bone infections — and many more complications that tested him in every possible way.

Then, last year, as a result of these infections, both of his legs were amputated. He was sent back into another nursing home. But this time… something shifted. Danny began to come back to life.

He made friends with other residents. He started sharing meals, telling stories, and venturing outside to reconnect with nature.

And then — in a moment that felt straight out of a movie — Danny was recruited to play professional sled hockey, a Paralympic-level sport for people with physical disabilities.

Danny made it happen and this past August, we took a road trip out to Park City, Utah, where he began his next chapter. Since then, he’s been training hard, finding purpose again, and connecting with a new community. It’s been absolutely beautiful to witness.

On May 1st, Danny will compete in the USA Hockey Sled National Championships in Florida. This will also be the first time he sees his daughter, Aurora, since his double amputation.

And as his sister, I want nothing more than to be there for this experience. But as I’ve been rebuilding my own life after these difficult five years, finances are incredibly tight right now.

I’m raising funds to make this trip possible and meaningful — to cover flights, wheelchair-accessible lodging, transportation, food, and extra costs that come with accessible travel.

Thank you to everyone who has held me through the past years – I don’t know how I would’ve made it through the many dark days without y’all ♥️