Please Help Bring Virginia Home
Donation protected
On March 27, my mother Virginia Young, her friend Anne and her granddaughter Leanne flew from Seattle to Washington DC, on what was to be a special spring break trip for Leanne. The next day they set out for their first day of sightseeing, but they didn’t get far.
At the Bethesda metro station, they were confronted with a very long, broken escalator, and no obvious alternative way to get down to the train. After Anne and Leanne started down, Virginia, too, stepped on and made her cautious way down. After being admonished by two young men who passed her at a trot, calling out, "Move to your right!" Virginia attempted to move over. She slipped in the effort and tumbled head over heels, bouncing off the walls and steps for six or seven steps.
Virginia was transported to a trauma center where she had cervical spinal surgery. She has since been moved to a spinal rehabilitation center where she is trying to regain the use of the right side of her body. She's now been away from home (nearly 2800 miles!) for five weeks, adding isolation to the difficulty of her situation.
We would like to bring Virginia home to Seattle, where she can be close to friends and family while she continues her inpatient treatment. We have a target date of May 18th for her return.
Since Virginia still requires hospitalization, and is not mobile on her own, she will have to have a medic accompany her, to monitor her and keep her safe. It’s a 6 hour flight from Baltimore, so having that person is critical. It’s also costly, we’ve gotten quotes of $10,000. This is on top of her own airfare.
People have asked what they can do, and this is one area we need help with in the short term. If we're fortunate enough to exceed this goal, additional funds will go towards modifying Virginia's home to make it handicap-accessible.
Thank you for reading this and please pass it along to anyone you think would be interested and willing to help.
With love, Lisa for Virginia and her family and friends
Note, this is the escalator she fell on.
At the Bethesda metro station, they were confronted with a very long, broken escalator, and no obvious alternative way to get down to the train. After Anne and Leanne started down, Virginia, too, stepped on and made her cautious way down. After being admonished by two young men who passed her at a trot, calling out, "Move to your right!" Virginia attempted to move over. She slipped in the effort and tumbled head over heels, bouncing off the walls and steps for six or seven steps.
Virginia was transported to a trauma center where she had cervical spinal surgery. She has since been moved to a spinal rehabilitation center where she is trying to regain the use of the right side of her body. She's now been away from home (nearly 2800 miles!) for five weeks, adding isolation to the difficulty of her situation.
We would like to bring Virginia home to Seattle, where she can be close to friends and family while she continues her inpatient treatment. We have a target date of May 18th for her return.
Since Virginia still requires hospitalization, and is not mobile on her own, she will have to have a medic accompany her, to monitor her and keep her safe. It’s a 6 hour flight from Baltimore, so having that person is critical. It’s also costly, we’ve gotten quotes of $10,000. This is on top of her own airfare.
People have asked what they can do, and this is one area we need help with in the short term. If we're fortunate enough to exceed this goal, additional funds will go towards modifying Virginia's home to make it handicap-accessible.
Thank you for reading this and please pass it along to anyone you think would be interested and willing to help.
With love, Lisa for Virginia and her family and friends
Note, this is the escalator she fell on.
Organizer
Lisa Young Hedman
Organizer
Lynnwood, WA