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Vanessa, Tony, and Jack need our help. Whether you are friends, family, colleagues, parents, climbing partners, friends of friends, part of their circles and communities, or you don’t even know them….
You are needed.
On April 7th, one day before her 34th birthday, Vanessa had a serious fall while rock climbing in Oregon and suffered significant injuries to her spine and spinal cord. She was stabilized at the scene, and then airlifted to St. Charles Medical Center in Bend, OR. She underwent two surgeries in the first two days to decompress and stabilize her spine. She has begun PT and is awaiting transfer to UW Spine Center in Seattle, where she will begin in-patient rehab. Her anticipated duration of stay is 4-6 weeks. Spinal cord injuries are complicated and answers are rarely clear or predictable. How long will it take for her recovery? Will Vanessa walk again? What can she, Tony, and Jack expect? How and what will life look like moving forward? What type of rehab will she need when she comes home? No one knows the answers to these questions at this point.
We do know some things. Vanessa is strong, determined, young, and a fighter (even the surgeon said she has hard bones which Tony verified based on how hard-headed she is!). She is going to excel at whatever challenge is put in front of her, and while her back is broken, her spirit is not. She is ready and determined to face whatever comes next.
But spirit, while so important, is only part of this equation. Their medical bills are already significant, and they will get a lot bigger over the coming months. A helicopter medical transport, an out-of-state/network ICU hospital stay, two neurosurgeries, hotels, lost wages, and medical devices are already incurred and we’re only days in to a long medical course. The coming weeks and months will include another medical transport from Bend to Seattle, in-patient rehab, more specialized equipment as Vanessa regains independence, and rigorous out-patient rehab in Wenatchee. Their current rental home will need modifications, the home they are currently building will need to be re-worked, and a new vehicle that can accommodate a wheelchair will need to be purchased. Upon returning home, Vanessa is likely going to require in-home healthcare. Compounding matters, neither Tony nor Vanessa will be able to work for the foreseeable future, as Tony will be full-time single parenting in Leavenworth while Vanessa is showing the rehab staff in Seattle exactly what she’s made of! Beyond just the physical journey ahead of them, this is a family that will benefit greatly from working with mental health professionals as they process their own trauma.
This is only a short list of the anticipated costs that lie ahead ...
While Vanessa's insurance is decent, it is not going to come close to covering the extraordinary expenses and bills flooding in … bills that will continue to flood in as Vanessa, Tony, and Jack navigate this new life trajectory.
Vanessa, Tony, and Jack are an incredible family, and what happened to them could happen to anyone. Vanessa has, as a nurse and nurse educator, spent the last year serving on the front lines of the COVID pandemic, supporting and guiding her team through uncharted territory. She is mother to a 7-year old boy who is sad that his mum is hurt and wonders why she can’t walk right now. She is one-half of an amazing marriage where each partner supports each others’ dreams and ambitions, and loves the other fiercely. She is supportive of local businesses and buys fundraiser tickets for high school sports teams just because that's what good community involvement looks like. She is climber who inspires other climbers with her sheer love of and dedication to the sport.
Now she needs us.
It's our turn to give back to her, and show her that this battle isn’t just hers and her family’s. It’s time for us to have her back (literally!) so that she can fight and heal without the crushing financial burden of medical expenses.
Please share widely, and give generously. Every penny donated will go directly to Vanessa’s care and associated costs. The funds raised here will go to a private account managed by Tony (and Vanessa) Cameron. We will be updating this site and the Give In Kinds sites regularly with updates so check back often!
Other Ways to Help:
We have created the below page where you can find other ways to help the Cameron family. Meals, gift cards, grocery runs, dog walking, childcare, rides to therapy and the like are going to be super important for Tony, Vanessa, and Jack before and after Vanessa returns home. You'll be able to sign up for all of these things and more, on the Care Calendar and Wishlist, that we'll keep updated as needs arise. The cool thing is you can sign up for updates, and get an email notification every time something new is posted! This GoFundMe will be linked on there, as well as an option to donate directly via PayPal.
https://www.giveinkind.com/inkinds/F0C4X2O/supporting-the-cameron-family
Many thanks and much love from Vanessa, Tony, and Jack
You are needed.
On April 7th, one day before her 34th birthday, Vanessa had a serious fall while rock climbing in Oregon and suffered significant injuries to her spine and spinal cord. She was stabilized at the scene, and then airlifted to St. Charles Medical Center in Bend, OR. She underwent two surgeries in the first two days to decompress and stabilize her spine. She has begun PT and is awaiting transfer to UW Spine Center in Seattle, where she will begin in-patient rehab. Her anticipated duration of stay is 4-6 weeks. Spinal cord injuries are complicated and answers are rarely clear or predictable. How long will it take for her recovery? Will Vanessa walk again? What can she, Tony, and Jack expect? How and what will life look like moving forward? What type of rehab will she need when she comes home? No one knows the answers to these questions at this point.
We do know some things. Vanessa is strong, determined, young, and a fighter (even the surgeon said she has hard bones which Tony verified based on how hard-headed she is!). She is going to excel at whatever challenge is put in front of her, and while her back is broken, her spirit is not. She is ready and determined to face whatever comes next.
But spirit, while so important, is only part of this equation. Their medical bills are already significant, and they will get a lot bigger over the coming months. A helicopter medical transport, an out-of-state/network ICU hospital stay, two neurosurgeries, hotels, lost wages, and medical devices are already incurred and we’re only days in to a long medical course. The coming weeks and months will include another medical transport from Bend to Seattle, in-patient rehab, more specialized equipment as Vanessa regains independence, and rigorous out-patient rehab in Wenatchee. Their current rental home will need modifications, the home they are currently building will need to be re-worked, and a new vehicle that can accommodate a wheelchair will need to be purchased. Upon returning home, Vanessa is likely going to require in-home healthcare. Compounding matters, neither Tony nor Vanessa will be able to work for the foreseeable future, as Tony will be full-time single parenting in Leavenworth while Vanessa is showing the rehab staff in Seattle exactly what she’s made of! Beyond just the physical journey ahead of them, this is a family that will benefit greatly from working with mental health professionals as they process their own trauma.
This is only a short list of the anticipated costs that lie ahead ...
While Vanessa's insurance is decent, it is not going to come close to covering the extraordinary expenses and bills flooding in … bills that will continue to flood in as Vanessa, Tony, and Jack navigate this new life trajectory.
Vanessa, Tony, and Jack are an incredible family, and what happened to them could happen to anyone. Vanessa has, as a nurse and nurse educator, spent the last year serving on the front lines of the COVID pandemic, supporting and guiding her team through uncharted territory. She is mother to a 7-year old boy who is sad that his mum is hurt and wonders why she can’t walk right now. She is one-half of an amazing marriage where each partner supports each others’ dreams and ambitions, and loves the other fiercely. She is supportive of local businesses and buys fundraiser tickets for high school sports teams just because that's what good community involvement looks like. She is climber who inspires other climbers with her sheer love of and dedication to the sport.
Now she needs us.
It's our turn to give back to her, and show her that this battle isn’t just hers and her family’s. It’s time for us to have her back (literally!) so that she can fight and heal without the crushing financial burden of medical expenses.
Please share widely, and give generously. Every penny donated will go directly to Vanessa’s care and associated costs. The funds raised here will go to a private account managed by Tony (and Vanessa) Cameron. We will be updating this site and the Give In Kinds sites regularly with updates so check back often!
Other Ways to Help:
We have created the below page where you can find other ways to help the Cameron family. Meals, gift cards, grocery runs, dog walking, childcare, rides to therapy and the like are going to be super important for Tony, Vanessa, and Jack before and after Vanessa returns home. You'll be able to sign up for all of these things and more, on the Care Calendar and Wishlist, that we'll keep updated as needs arise. The cool thing is you can sign up for updates, and get an email notification every time something new is posted! This GoFundMe will be linked on there, as well as an option to donate directly via PayPal.
https://www.giveinkind.com/inkinds/F0C4X2O/supporting-the-cameron-family
Many thanks and much love from Vanessa, Tony, and Jack
Organizer and beneficiary
Tony Cameron
Beneficiary