Saving Kainoa’s Eye

Hi, my name is Nichole and I’m fundraising for my 12 year old daughter, Kainoa.

We went to City Park on Saturday August 13th to check out the live music and hang out with friends. Her and a group of friends were next to the river by McManus Park when suddenly something hit her in the eye. A friend of hers walked with her to get help and when I saw blood pouring from her eye, we immediately went to the ER. 

I thought maybe a wasp stung her in the eye….I wasn’t sure what to think. None of it made sense. She wears glasses, and the glasses were untouched. After having an X-ray done at the hospital, they discovered a BB in her eye!

Eventually we discovered that it was a copper coated steel BB from a Daisy Powerline Model 415 0.177cal 495 fps Air Pistol.

UPDATE 8/17/2022: Not the kind I wanted but we know where the BB came from. Unfortunately this was a devastating case of someone ’jokingly’ aiming the gun at Kainoa while believing it wasn’t loaded, and pulling the trigger. One of her friends out of her group of 7 teens. They were all so scared, they didn’t tell me (or even the police) the truth. Well props to the Lander Police Department for doing their part and getting to the bottom of it. This makes a lot more sense and I’m glad we have some answers.  Parents, please teach your kids not to aim a gun at someone whether they believe it’s loaded or not!! Kids, listen to your parents!! 

We were flown to Salt Lake where they performed surgery to clean and seal the wound. The BB was scheduled to be removed on August 25th because the eye wasn’t in a stable enough state to perform that surgery. We were told, worst case scenario, she loses her eye, while the best case scenario is clearly to have the vision in her right eye back. There will be multiple surgeries…we know more as we go. Doctor said to anticipate a 3-6 month recovery process. 

She means the world to me and if I could trade places with her, I would in a heartbeat.

Between gas expenses, hotels, and all the prescriptions and medical bill, I honestly don’t know what the reasonable amount of financial help would be to request.

Any and all help and support (whether financially or emotionally) is greatly appreciated. Thank you.

For those who prefer Venmo, below is my Venmo account. Thank you all so much.