Nicholas Umbarger's Journey to recovery

My name is Marilyn White and I'm fundraising for my nephew, Nicholas Umbarger, and his wife Kara.

On Labor Day, this year, 2023, Nicholas was involved in a tree stand accident while trying to remove it from the tree. He is an avid hunter and has done this many times. However, this time, he fell several feet and burst his T-12 vertebrae when he landed. This is a serious injury leaving most people paralyzed and unable to walk. He was airlifted to Carle Hospital in Urbana, IL, where he underwent a 6 hour surgery to stabilize the spinal cord injury. After several days in the ICU, he was transferred to the Shirley Ryan Ability Lab in Chicago for assessment and therapy. While the prognosis is very encouraging that he will walk again, he has a long road to recovery ahead. This means lost income from his job with Ameren, added medical costs, travel expenses, and various expenses for Nick and Kara.

Their one-year wedding anniversary is next week, and they are expecting their first child a few short weeks after. Support from their family, close friends, and co-workers has been amazing and they are so grateful. All of your prayers are being felt by our family. If you're wondering how you can help, in addition to your prayers, donating any amount would help ease the financial burden on Nicholas and Kara, as they travel this unexpected journey together.

Thank you in advance for caring.