Dear friends and family,

We are reaching out in need of support for our beloved friend, Kimi Lanes. Kimi is the heartbeat of her family and her community of loved ones. She is the first person to step up and help others, the shoulder to lean on when things get hard, and the first smile cracking a joke when you need a good laugh. Every person in Kimi's orbit feels her joyous energy and warmth she shares so naturally. To know her is to love her.

Kimi recently suffered a severe, acute injury that resulted in traumatic spinal cord damage. She was rushed into emergency surgery for a cervical spinal decompression and fusion. The impact on her body was profound, resulting in the loss of feeling in the right side of her body. Neurosurgery placed a titanium, protective plate in her cervical spine, in hopes to prevent permanent paralysis and to stabilize her neck.

After time in Intensive Care, Kimi is now in the hospital's inpatient rehab. She is working with her medical team to regain neurological function and relearn mobility. This recovery process will be a tough, milestone-based journey during her intensive rehab stay and later when she is discharged home for ongoing, outpatient physical and occupational therapies. Our Kimi is incredibly strong and keeping her spirits high. She is focused on her healing, determined to walk unsupported, and return to her life as a nurse & busy mom to two growing children.

Before this sudden injury, Kimi was putting her all into her nursing career and higher education. She was just two assignments away from completing her Bachelor of Science in Nursing, working full-time as a bedside nurse, and running a busy household for her loving family. She is a nurse down to her core, an upstanding mother, the most loving sister & daughter, and the best friend I could ever hope for.

As she works to heal, Kimi's family is navigating this medical crisis without her regular income. Unfortunately, Florida does not have a state-mandated short-term disability program. To allow Kimi to focus on her rehabilitation, we want to ensure her family's immediate daily living expenses are covered.

Our goal is to raise $12,000 to establish a critical financial safety net for her family. Every dollar raised is a gift from her community that goes toward necessities for Kimi, Valerie, Izeah and Miko. Donations will help lighten the pressure of mortgage payments, utilities, groceries and medical insurance premiums so that the family remains secure and stable without the weight of household stressors.

Together we are surrounding Kimi with positive energy for her complete healing. Our greatest hope is to see her neurological function fully restore, allowing feeling and movement to return to her right side. Kimi is a fighter and we know she will get through this recovery.

Kimi is grateful for the love and support she has received from her family, friends, and nursing colleagues who have donated their Earned Time Off hours to help support her thus far. She thanks you all for keeping her hopeful and surrounding her family with such incredible care.

Thank you for your kindness and for sharing this page. Please feel free to leave words of encouragement or a favorite memory to brighten her day. Kimi would love to read them and knowing you are rooting for her gives her so much strength!

With love and gratitude,

Jessica Ray

Close friend of the Lanes and Gonzalez family