Help the Stephan’s recover from this tragedy

Please, please help our family!

 On Friday, April 1st 2022, my mom (Misty Gahr) was in a severe car crash with my little brother (Mikail Stephan) on the bypass by Glacier High School. It was just before 10pm, they were driving south and were alone on their side of the highway. All at once, two cars coming from the opposite direction at a high rate of speed crossed the median and slammed into my mom and brother. My little brother, the driver, who recently just got his driving permit was practicing his night driving, but later ended the night with multiple contusions, scrapes, burns, whiplash and a lot of pain in his arm. He was very shaken up and is still traumatized that it even happened. He had multiple x-rays done at the hospital and is still very sore. My mom, the passenger, on the other hand suffered from multiple injuries. Including, a broken collarbone, two broken ribs, numerous bruises and contusions and a sore sternum. However, the worst of her injuries included that her leg was fractured/broken in the three different places. Her tibia, fibia and her shin. Her back was also broken, leaving her L3 vertebrae completely destroyed. She was operated on for her leg and back for almost 8 hours. She will now have rods in her back and leg as well as numerous screws for the rest of her life. She will be undergoing yet another surgery to put a plate in to repair her collarbone. We were told she may have to have more surgeries in the future and undergo extensive rehabilitation. She will now always have rods and metal in her body. I cannot even comprehend the physical pain and suffering she has already endured and will in the future. Besides the physical suffering from this, the emotional trauma this accident has caused both for my mom and brother will go on forever, and for our entire family. We are all struggling with my mom not being here, my dad needing to be with her and him trying to be at home with us. I am so scared for the impact this is going to take on every single one of us.

 Let me give you a little insight on our family. My parents have always been extremely hard workers and independent people. Both my mom and dad have always worked to support us, even working opposite shifts so they wouldn’t have to rely on a babysitter for us kids. Raising four kids isn’t easy and everyone who knows us, knows that my parents have done nothing but be extremely supportive and involved in our everyday lives. We have never been rich financially, but they have always been rich in their love for every single of us. We are an extremely active family and love doing things such as camping, hiking, snowboarding/skiing and other activities whenever we get the chance. My dad has been a soccer coach here in Kalispell for over 15 years, and is a big part of the soccer community. My parents have always attended as many of our soccer games, track meets and basketball games as possible. If one parent wasn’t there, the other one always was. They were always like that with school concerts and field trips as well. I can’t even begin to explain the love and support we have in this family. I could go on and on.

 All of this has been greatly impacted and taken away by one horrific crash. Looking at the photos it’s hard to not question how they are both still here with us. After the crash, my mom was not able to be removed from her door. They had to lift her up and out through the drivers end. While this was happening my mom was having to hold her own leg together. As the first responders, pulled her across the center console to get her out they were all in complete panic. This was because the crash had resulted in a large amount of gas everywhere and many were scared that the car may catch on fire.
   
There will be years of dealing with this and the impact of it. However, we need help now with immediate needs. My mom is unable to work. She had been a waitress at the Montana Club ever since it opened up here in Kalispell. My dad has been a manager at Kalispell Art Casting for nearly 20 years, but he will not be able to support us financially alone. As I said earlier, we have never been rich, but we’ve always managed to pay our bills and support our family. There are six of us, I am the oldest of us four kids. I started working when I was 16. My sister, a sophomore in high school has always held a 4.0 GPA and is also involved in her high school varsities soccer team at Flathead High School as well as track. My little brother Mikail, a freshmen at Flathead, who was involved in the crash, is also a soccer player for Flathead High. My other little brother, a seventh grader at Kalispell Middle School, is also a soccer player and in track. My mom has done nothing but cry and be upset with the fact that she will not have the ability to make my little brothers and my little sisters soccer games and track meets. As well as do all the other things she does for us. My dad is being as strong as he can through all of this, but he is stretched so thin trying to be at the hospital and at home taking care of us.

 Please, please… reach into your heart and help my parents be able to at least meet their immediate monthly bills so they can concentrate on the medical and emotional needs of my mom and brother. My dad will need to be with my mom through her surgeries and in the hospital for her lengthy rehabilitation. My mom has been going through excruciating pain everyday and it’s been very hard for my family to watch her, especially knowing that her life will be forever changed by this. There is no absolute way my mom and brother could have anticipated or avoided being hit head on in this situation.

 Please! Please help my family through this horrible time!