Help support Shannon's family

Story

Hi, my name is Tess, and I’ve created this GoFundMe to support our beloved cousins during an incredibly difficult time. We’re based in Australia and feel utterly helpless being so far away, unable to offer the hands-on support our family desperately needs right now. On July 14th around 11am, my cousin Shannon, the eldest daughter of Cindy and Ted, was involved in a devastating car accident on Route 9 in Berkeley County, West Virginia. Shannon is currently in the trauma center at INOVA Fairfax Hospital, recovering from emergency surgery. She has sustained serious injuries, including fractures to her cervical and thoracic spine and a severed spinal cord—damage that is believed to be irreversible. While Shannon is awake, she remains intubated, and only time will reveal the full extent of her injuries. As you can imagine, the emotional, physical, and financial toll this is taking on the entire family is immense—especially for her mum Cindy, sisters Brianna and Kayla, her children, and her dad Ted. Cindy, Brianna, and Kayla are spending as much time as possible by Shannon’s side in the hospital, but this comes with its own set of challenges: missed work, travel expenses, childcare needs, and the ongoing cost of meals and daily essentials—all of which are adding up quickly. This tragedy follows an already unimaginable tragedy the family endured just over a year ago, and it’s hard to put into words how overwhelmed and heartbroken they all are right now. If you’re in a position to contribute, any amount would make a real difference in helping ease the financial strain and allow the family to focus on supporting Shannon during this incredibly uncertain time. Your kindness and generosity would mean the world to them. We’ll continue to share updates here as we receive them. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your donations, prayers, and kind words—they bring strength and comfort to our family when they need it most. All funds raised will go directly to Cindy, Brianna, and Kayla—I (Tess) will not be handling any of the money personally. Thank you, Tess x