Help Liz Cruz on Her Road to Recovery

Thank you for clicking to read this story. We recently took an amazing family cruise vacation. While at the last port in Turks and Caicos on Wednesday, June 4th, our fun, carefree, and relaxing vacation turned into a total nightmare. Four of my family members were riding on a golf cart trying to make their way towards me. We had separated while shopping. My husband Ray was driving, my mother-in-law Elizabeth in the passenger seat, my sister-in-law, and cousin behind them. When my husband went to make a right-hand turn (opposite side of the road there), a white F150 truck drove right through the intersection, not stopping until it was too late to react. His front right bumper smashed into the front left side of the open, unprotected 6-seater golf cart. The golf cart went flying, seats popping off, throwing three of them out of the cart. My mother-in-law Elizabeth Cruz was not thrown but was pinned in the front seat, her legs gushing blood. Her screams of agony were heard by the onlookers, shocked as to what they just witnessed. As I made my way down the block to them, my husband flagged me down. I walked down the block towards him when I saw the mangled golf cart and no other family members around. My heart sank. I mouthed to him and asked if that was our cart. He shook his head, yes. I ran over to him and asked where everyone was. My mother-in-law Liz was rushed to the hospital. My sister-in-law went with her. Our cousin went to find me. My husband was in shock and a total mess.

After Ray gave his statements to the officers on the scene, we were cleared to leave and get to the hospital. A kind woman offered to take us to the hospital. The three of us remaining were driven to the hospital not knowing the state Liz was in. When we arrived, Liz was in the emergency room triage. We waited for the update. The doctors finally came out and said Liz suffered a broken femur and had a lacerations on her legs. Bones are fixable and by the grace of God, we are so blessed that this was the only thing that happened. This whole thing could have been a lot worse for all involved.

Here is the reason for this GoFundMe. Since this all happened in another country, the hospital refused to take private insurance from out of the country. All the medical bills that accrued while in Turks & Caicos will all have to be OUT OF POCKET. This includes everything and anything that you can think of in that hospital: medicines given, the ambulance ride, the care given, the room she stayed in. All of it. The hospital also couldn't perform the surgery she needed on her legs because they didn't have the necessary equipment to do so. Instead, they would get her ready for transport to the United States (once the bill was paid). Since it was her femur that was broken, she would need to lay flat for the transport and a commercial flight home would not be safe. Instead, Liz needed to take a medical transport via a private jet (a 30K ride!). Again, OUT OF POCKET. This was such a financial mess trying to come up with the funds to get her back to the United States.

After borrowing, lending, and pooling together what was needed, Liz was cleared for transport to a Miami hospital. She finally arrived on Friday, 6/6. Here her insurance will be accepted and the bills won't all be out of pocket. Liz's surgery is set for Sunday, 6/8. She will have a long road to recovery and will need extensive physical therapy, possibly in-home nurses. The bills will keep coming. This GoFundMe was created to help offset the out-of-pocket costs that accrued so far and the future expenses needed.

If you’re in a position to contribute, no matter how small, please know that your support means the world to me and my family. And if donating isn’t possible right now, simply sharing the link with others would be just as meaningful.

Thank you for taking a moment to read this. Your kindness, support, and love are deeply appreciated more than words can say.

With gratitude,

The Cruz Family