Help Kristen Caldon O’Neill Heal After Grand Canyon Tragedy

Help Kristen Heal After a Devastating Grand Canyon Tragedy

Hi, my name is Terri, and I’m organizing this fundraiser on behalf of my dear friend Kristen—a former Grand Canyon wilderness guide, photographer, and fierce lover of the outdoors. In 2021, Kristen’s life was forever changed by a catastrophic flash flood while guiding a trip through the Grand Canyon. She’s survived the unthinkable, but now lives with complex chronic pain and disabilities that prevent her from working or living independently.

I’m raising funds to help cover her medical care, essential living expenses, and give her the dignity and support she so deeply deserves. Thank you for reading, sharing, and donating if you can.

Help Kristen Heal After a Life-Changing Grand Canyon Tragedy

Location: Grand Canyon, AZ

Date of Injury: July 14, 2021

❤️ Goal: Help Kristen cover ongoing medical and living expenses after surviving a devastating flash flood.

️ What Happened

On July 14, 2021, while guiding a river trip through the Grand Canyon, Kristen—an experienced wilderness guide and photographer—was caught in a violent flash flood that surged from an unseen side canyon. A massive waterfall of mud, rock, and debris overtook the campsite. Kristen was struck by a boulder while helping guests board boats to escape.

She suffered devastating injuries: her pelvis was shattered in three places, her left kidney was destroyed, and several of her ribs and lower spine and sacrum were crushed. Medical evacuation was delayed for hours due to the severity of the storm. Another passenger lost their life that day. Kristen barely survived and she was in and out of the hospital for six months.

“I remember the moment the boulder hit me—I couldn’t move, I could barely breathe. But I held on. For Liam, for myself, for the people we were trying to protect. I knew I wasn’t ready to go.”

Who Kristen Is:

Before the flood, Kristen was a fierce, joyful protector of wild places. She spent years living in the Grand Canyon, guiding others through its depths, capturing its beauty through photography, and advocating for its preservation. She was just seven days of hiking away from being the first woman to hike both North and South lengths of Grand Canyon, as well as through hiking 22 other National Parks.

She was a wilderness athlete, a storyteller, a steward of nature. And above all, she was strong, independent, and self-sufficient.

Now, she is fighting every day just to survive.

Life After the Flood

Since 2021, Kristen has undergone:

6 major surgeries

Loss of her kidney and multiple muscle and tendon group complications.

Chronic, debilitating pain and nerve damage that keeps her mostly bedridden.

Care from 28+ medical specialists during her search for a lessening of her tremendous pain and to gain some mobility back.

Hundreds of doctor appointments and therapy sessions, 8 per week and 2-3 procedures a month.

She’s tried spinal stimulators, injections, pelvic floor therapy, and alternative treatments. Nothing has brought lasting relief.

Kristen cannot work. She cannot travel. She cannot sit or stand for long. Her life is now confined in isolation to her apartment in Flagstaff.

✨ How You Can Help

Kristen needs our help to keep going.

Your donation will support:

Ongoing medical care, therapy, and pain management

Basic living expenses (rent, food, utilities)

Mobility support and specialized equipment

Mental health care and trauma recovery

Even the smallest amount makes a big difference. And if you can’t donate, please share this page with your community.

From the Heart

Kristen has given everything to the wild places she loves—and to the people who visit them. Now it's time for us to give back.

Please help us support her healing, her dignity, and her future.

Thank you, from Kristen’s friends and community. ❤️

This page was created after the sudden 'disappearance' of "Kristen Caldon O'Neill's River Accident Recovery" Page, also on GoFundMe, which was created at the time of Kristen's injury. The outpouring of help that came from that page is truly monumental and we can only hope that we can match the funds raised on that page, as Kristen truly needs the help just as much today as the day of the accident. Thank you to every single person that has helped her, and thank you so much to every person that is still thinking about her now.