My sister, Stacey Cornett, and her partner of 7 years, Ryan Walker need our help! After being turned away by 2 ERs, Ryan finally received urgent surgery to repair a severed nerve in his dominant hand. Now he faces up to a year of recovery, unable to work and uncertain if full function will return.

Two weeks ago, Ryan’s life changed in an instant. An accident left him with a severed ulnar nerve in his right hand. After a week of excruciating pain and being dismissed by multiple doctors, he finally saw a surgeon who confirmed the seriousness of his injury and performed urgent repair surgery.

Nerve healing is slow — just a millimeter a day. Healing doesn’t begin until after 1 month, and may take 6–12 months before Ryan knows how much use of his hand will return. Until then, he must endure months of physical therapy and faces the possibility of having to change careers entirely. For someone whose work and passions depend on his hands, this is devastating.

Overnight, Ryan and Stacey lost half their household income. Stacey works a full time job and a side gig, but their basic expenses (housing, groceries, utilities, transportation, and medical) are more than double what she makes. On top of this, Stacey is also scheduled for major surgery before year’s end.

Ryan and Stacey are always the first to step up to help others. Stacey has raised over $100,000 in past fundraisers to support others in crisis. Now, for the first time, she and Ryan are the ones in need.

We’re raising $15,000 to cover the next few months of essential living expenses and medical costs while Ryan recovers. This will keep food on the table, the lights on, and protect the home they’ve spent the last year and a half lovingly DIY renovating.

Every donation helps. If you can’t give, please share this campaign to help us reach more people.

With gratitude,

Whitney Cornett Mele