Sara's nursing expenses

Sara Granda is organizing this fundraiser.

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Pictured: Matthew Opsahl, Cristina Granda, Joey Voss, Maria Voss, Martha Voss, John Voss, JJ Granda, Jorge Lopez, Beverly Granda.

Hello! My name is Sara Granda, and I live in Davis, California. When I was 17 years old, a car accident left me paralyzed from the neck down (tetraplegic) and dependent on a mechanical ventilator to breathe. Years of hospitalizations and litigation without a monetary settlement did not extinguish my fighting spirit. Instead, it reinforced my determination to create the best life for myself. I refused to give up on life. I went on to complete my bachelor’s and masters’s degrees, then graduate from law school.

I have developed a successful career working full-time as an attorney for the State of California, investigating fraud, waste, and abuse with the goal of ensuring access to safe quality public health care. I am proud of my accomplishments, and grateful to all who have supported me in achieving them: earning my law degree, , purchasing my own home, and continuing to seek out travel and adventure when feasible. I am fortunate to feel that I have pursued my best life, and in turn, I value giving back to others in my church, work life, and in my larger community. The news articles and media on this page help to tell my story in greater detail.

Unfortunately, a series of setbacks now threaten to jeopardize the last 24 years of my enormous efforts, as well as those of my friends, family, and support network.

I can no longer maintain the 24/7 skilled nursing assistance my care requires. Due to a severe shortage of skilled nursing, the price to staff nurses has skyrocketed. Meanwhile, my insurance has not changed the rate at which they reimburse nurses since 2010, despite the fact that both cost of care and cost of living in California have also skyrocketed. Additionally, my insurance does not provide the benefits that skilled nurses could find at other institutional employers. To even attract nurses, I've had to supplement these noncompetitive reimbursement wages with my own funds. This year alone, I paid over $45,000 to date to my nurses out of pocket. Even so, when I have been unable to find nurses to cover my shifts, I have had to rely on my mother’s non-stop support and assistance for weeks at a time. My mother has repeatedly had to take leave from her work during these times, and it is taking a toll on her as well. My family is also exhausted from covering my nursing shifts and I still need to ask for more help. At this point, I have been fighting on many fronts, including taking my insurance company to court to receive the benefits that are required for me to live an independent, successful life.

Things cannot continue like this. I am currently in need of two things:

1) A nurse case manager to interview, hire, and train skilled nurses, so that they can handle the day-to-day organization of my shift coverage and provide accountability. An external assessment of my situation has estimated a need for approximately 30hr a month to provide these basic services. At the current market rate in my area of $150/hr, that would total $4500 a month.

2) A wage supplement of at least $15/hour over the reimbursement rate for skilled nurses ($56/hr), so that I can compete with the current market rates. Over 24hr/day, 7 days a week, the extra rate would total about $11,000/month.

That totals over $15,000 per month, which far exceeds my financial means. I am asking for help covering these costs for the next six months, when the litigation with my insurance company might finally result in reimbursement rates from 2010 being updated to cover these costs in the long term.

My injuries and resulting complications are not going away. Neither is my fighting spirit and my commitment to living a life I can be proud of. I hope to be able to continue to set an example for what is possible regardless of circumstances, and I am asking for your help in the short term to make this happen.

Thank you for your time and consideration,

Sara