09/12/2023 Update:

We are on the mend. I, Maria, have been making a slow and steady progress. Each day brings a little more ease to my daily functionality. I am almost fully out of my back brace with the occasional need if I am out and about. I'm not yet able to drive; I'll see my surgeon on Wednesday with the hope to be able to take on this endeavor. My plan is to stay in Cle Elum, WA for up to another 30 days before heading home to Arizona. I've got a long, emotional and physical recovery to tackle and my sister-in-law, Patty has graciously extended her help and opened her home to aid in my road to recovery. I hope to fly home sometime in October and continue the recovery process. The hospital costs so far have reached over $200,000. While my personal insurance covers the majority of it I still am responsible for a considerable amount on top of the other incidental costs associated with rehabilitation.

Chris has been mending his back injury as best as possible with rest. He hopes to get a second opinion soon to help decide what type of treatment plan he should do; either a fusion of a couple vertebrae, or a pacemaker to deaden the nerves of the injured area. Chris is a self-employed mechanic and he has had a substantial setback due to not being able to work during this recovery process. However, he is very appreciative of your kindness and generosity towards helping him get back to where he can work full time again in the very near future.

Your gifts will aide in helping us with all the additional costs.

Much love to you all from the bottom of our hearts and God Bless each and every one of you.

Maria and Chris

Hello friends and family

As some of you may know, Chris and Maria were involved in an accident on Lake Washington over SeaFair weekend. On their way back to the dock, their boat was hit by two rogue waves/wakes that launched them into the air twice, resulting in both Maria and Chris severely injuring their backs.

Maria suffered from an unstable L1 vertebrae and had surgery Saturday 8/5 to stabilize it on either side with screws and plates from T11 thru L3. She is also recovering from a Subdural Hematoma (blood on the brain). As of 8/13, she is out of the ICU and staying at Chris’ house for the time being. Chris has 2 fractured discs in addition to his previous 3, but does not have his treatment options solidified yet. Obviously, as back injuries go, both of them are in a lot of pain and unable to continue their normal daily routines.

That’s where this fundraiser and hopefully your support come in. Maria’s medical treatment is likely covered by insurance, but we’re unsure what Chris will have to pay out of pocket. With two people recovering from back injuries in the same house, we’d like to make their recovery as comfortable and stress-free as possible.

As of this time, we’re setting our fundraiser goal to help pay for the following:

Any support you can provide is massively appreciated. Please share this fundraiser if you know of anyone close to either Chris or Maria who may be able to help as well. We’re leaning on our collective networks to get the word out, come together, and lend a helping hand to two people we know and love.

We will update this fundraiser page as we learn more and developments in both Chris and Maria’s status and care changes over time.

Thank you so much for your support!