One of my close friends and colleague, Shylah was a passenger on a pedicab leaving a work event in Austin, Texas in late October. The driver of the pedicab was intoxicated, which we found out later, but was negligent of his surroundings. He traveled from the sidewalk, toward oncoming traffic, then cut in between parked vehicles, and abruptly collided with an oncoming vehicle. I can attest to this considering I was a passenger, sitting beside Shylah (to her right).

To our misfortune, it was too late to react with an escape plan as we were the only 2 to witness the vehicle approaching. We were forced to "brace for impact". In a flash, 6 of us passengers were ejected tossing us into the middle of the street. 4 out of 6 made it out without serious injuries whereas Shylah and our colleague sitting behind us did not. I witnessed my friend get up from the pavement, bracing her ribs and chest, limping to tend to our colleague who was gravely injured. Both were eventually rushed to the E.R.

Here is the list of Shylah's injuries:

*After a few days of making her way back to Houston, she/they realized her body wasn't handling the stress of the accident too well and was taken to the hospital again where they discovered that the fractured rib caused a collapsed lung and some internal bleeding. She immediately went in for a procedure to treat her Pneumothorax (collapsed lung) by inserting a tube into her chest to allow the excess air and residual fluids to escape.

While Shylah begins her process for physical therapy, she/they are unable to perform laborious acts for a while. This also means no income. She has pets, rent, medical bills, attorney fees, and her small business to take care of, following Uber/Lyft to and from their appointments.

If anyone knows Shylah, she/they are kind, creative, strong, fierce Spirit! She/They worked hard to build their name and artistic career in Houston, especially after moving from her home, Guam. Shylah gives back to her communities through art, charity, and as a search and rescue volunteer. As you can imagine, this is a challenging process for her and our colleague. These women remain determined despite their recent health challenges. Shylah is deeply appreciative to be alive and not paralyzed knowing this accident was potentially fatal.

If you can donate, that would be amazing and would help her financially until she is stable to return to her passions such as dancing, performing, acting, the gym, teaching, helping animals, and pedicabbing. A little goes a long way.

Thank you so much for your help!

With love,

Nana Sampong