Margaret Vugrin: Paralysis to Possibility Fund

Edit (5/12/2022):
Fifty-seven (57) first class flights from Boston, MA to Lubbock,TX…. an equivalent of 342 flight hours…or $40,000. That’s how much it is going to cost to bring Margaret home. 

Last week we got the news that Blue Cross doesn’t cover cross-country transfers, just transfers to the nearest step-down facility, which would be in Massachusetts. Which would mean that, after 50 years of marriage, Margaret and Davor  could “afford” to live 1,800 miles apart.

We’ve called AngelFlight, but they only do regional transportation and not cross country. Another nonprofit services requires patients to be ambulatory and walk on to the plane. We made calls to air ambulance companies to schedule a flight for her.  The lowest estimate we’ve received so far is $40,000. We are baffled as to what people usually do in this situation, with such a severe accident far from home. 

On top of that, Margaret likely won’t yet be ready to return to work when her sick and vacation time runs out, so she’ll either need to retire & give up Blue Cross coverage or pay $1,370 per month for COBRA to stay on Blue Cross.

So we are increasing our fundraising goal to help cover the costs. If you know of any other organizations that might be able to help or have suggestions on ways to offset the costs, I would appreciate any suggestions. Please email and I will make the calls. 
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The background: 

Margaret Vugrin experienced a tragic accident while in Boston caring for her adult daughter, who was recovering from her own accident and hamstring re-attachment surgery.

 

The fall caused a severe neck injury, and Margaret is currently paralyzed below the shoulders.  After spinal and arm surgeries, Margaret was transferred to rehab, where she is expected to remain for several months before transferring to a skilled nursing facility or other accessible home where she can continue to get ongoing care.

The financial toll is daunting and causing significant added stress to the rehabilitation stage. The Christopher Reeve Foundation estimates that the average yearly health care & living expense for someone in the first year of high tetraplegia (caused by this kind of injury to the upper spine) exceeds $1 million.

Margaret has determination and drive- evinced by completing her Masters in Public Administration at 68 years old and Masters in Public Health the following year, all while working full-time and being a wife, mother, grandmother, sibling  and friend. We know that her determination to reach for and achieve those challenges will serve her well in facing this new adversity with resilience.

We are blessed that Margaret's mind was not cognitively affected by the injury and she is working hard to try and get her nerves back online.

At 72 years old, until the accident, Margaret was active in her day-to-day life, and enjoyed her her job as a Medical Research Librarian at Texas Tech’s Health Sciences Center Library. Margaret and her husband Davor, a retired physician,  have five children and six grandchildren, spread across the country from Massachusetts to California.

 

 

WHERE YOUR DONATION WILL GO:

We are asking for help to support significant, mounting expenses that are not covered by insurance.

 

Examples of early  financial NEEDS:

 

MEDIUM & LONG TERM financial needs:

 

(**The name of Margaret’s GoFundme inspired by the title of the book by Tricia Downing)