When bad things happen to good people most of us instinctively want to find a way to help. This is just such an opportunity. On 9 December 2020 Dorna Mojab was involved in a frightening car accident caused by a driver who made an illegal turn in front of her. Dorna was working, doing deliveries for PostMates (a service like Door Dash, Uber Eats and GrubHub). Dorna's car was totaled and more importantly she suffered a variety of serious injuries, some of which were not initially detected, or diagnosed properly.

 

Since the accident Dorna has been unable to work, been in constant pain, and has been stuck at home. We came to know Dorna through birding about six months before her accident and we quickly became dear friends. Her infectious smile, enthusiasm for birding and incredible skills as a photographer (https://instagram.com/dornamojab) made her a wonderful companion and we went birding together often during 2020. Since her accident we have kept in close touch and visited her on multiple occasions. It is excruciating to see this vibrant young woman cooped up at home and unable to do the things she loves. Further, she has no way generate any income.

 

Dorna is an Iranian citizen living permanently in the U.S. She will be eligible to apply for U.S. citizenship in April 2022 and she intends to do so. Unfortunately, she is mired in the unenviable position of not having medical insurance in the U.S. or having an affordable path to getting insured. The woman who hit her had only minimal liability insurance for covering Dorna's considerable medical expenses and those resources are now exhausted, along with all of Dorna's car insurance benefits and her savings. And yet, she still needs another surgery and extensive physical therapy to return to a normal life. The skeletal coverage offered by PostMates is only paid after the fact, so Dorna must bear any further medical expenses up front and out of her own pocket and hope to get reimbursed later.

 

During Dorna's initial hospital stay, she was diagnosed as having a concussion, a dissected carotid artery and an 'injured' knee. Much later, it was determined that both carotid arteries were dissected (a very serious and potentially life-threatening injury). Worse yet, the extent of her knee injury was not properly diagnosed because the hospital would not approve an MRI due to questions about insurance. After many months her knee had not healed and a long-overdue MRI was finally done. Not surprisingly, it revealed that she had a torn ACL that would require surgery. At this point months of constant pain and swelling and mostly staying off her feet had caused her muscles to atrophy and resulted in a major loss of flexibility. Even after the long-delayed ACL surgery her knee will not flex properly. Dorna now needs a second knee surgery to bring back the full range of motion, but there is no insurance money left to pay for it.

 

Had Dorna been living in Iran when this happened all the medical treatment would have occurred long ago at a much-reduced cost to her and she would presumably be back to a normal life by now. Instead, she is stuck in a place where her status as a non-citizen works against her at every turn. We love Dorna like a member of our family. She is a beautiful human being who deserves far better than she has received in the wake of an accident that was not of her doing. We invite you to join in the effort to fund the additional surgery and remaining medical care she needs, help her pay off the debt she's already incurred, replace her car, and most importantly bring health and peace back into Dorna's life.