Hello friends, many people have asked how they can help us as I recover from my accident. The bills continue to pile up, and we have decided to humbly ask for your help.

On August 21st, I was in a traumatic car accident on 295. I was headed home from a doctor’s appointment when I started feeling lightheaded. I was on the Buckman Bridge, and there was no safe place for me to pull off. I felt sure that I could make it to my exit that was about a mile away. I rolled down the window for some fresh air, and that’s the last thing I remember before blacking out behind the wheel. I woke up in a retention pond past my exit. My car was sinking—the water was already beginning to reach my door handles. I had to climb out of my car window and swim to safety before my car completely sank. People who witnessed the accident told Brian and me that my Prius went airborne from 295 into the retention pond. It’s a miracle I made it out alive. The only visible injury I had was a contusion on my face from hitting the steering wheel. I did not have a concussion, but I do continue to suffer from neck and back pain from the impact of the accident.

After weeks of trying to determine why this happened, I did some testing at the cardiologist, which showed I have a PFO—a small hole in my heart that has likely been there since birth. Many people with this PFO never know that they have it, but some people can develop symptoms such as lightheadedness, dizziness, blurred vision, and syncope (fainting). We are still trying to figure this all out, but this is likely what caused my accident. I might need surgery to patch up the hole.

Unfortunately, my doctor is going out of network on October 1st, so I will either need to pay for care out of pocket or find a new doctor. I’m currently on the waitlist for Mayo Clinic and will hopefully get in within the next month or two, but I’m still suffering from these symptoms—the dizziness, lightheadedness, etc. I’m also dealing with PTSD from the accident in addition to the anxiety disorder I’ve had for most of my life. I’m seeking therapy for this, but every day is a challenge.

These health problems have made it very hard to return to my normal life. I returned to full time work a little over a week after the accident but I'm unable to maintain that pace. I am looking into applying for short-term disability, but it’s a process that may take a little bit of time. Meanwhile, Brian is working 12 hour days at Toyota to try and keep us afloat, but we’re still drowning in bills. 

Challenges we have been faced with that we are not prepared for financially:

We appreciate anything you can do to help. We love you, thank you.