Support Audrey's Recovery

As some of you know Audrey Newell was in a strange and terrible accident on Monday Oct. 18th. She was pinned between two cars at chest level, unable to breath for several minutes. “Smushed” as she says. When she got to the emergency room at SFGH she was non-responsive and had significant injuries to her chest with broken ribs, shoulder blade and collar bone and badly bruised lungs.

We were all very, very scared.

 

Miraculously she is on her way to a full recovery. After two weeks in the intensive care unit she was moved to a regular hospital floor where she is receiving top notch medical treatment and therapy. Her injuries are painful but she is healing. Her humor, her intelligence, her big heart and her creativity are intact. It's been amazing to watch, a reminder of our resilience in the face of trauma.

 

But there’s still much uncertainty ahead. We don’t yet know how much her medical costs will amount to. As you may know, Audrey is a self employed landscape designer, and when she’s not working she’s not earning. While Audrey has coverage through the Affordable Care Act and will apply for reduced fees at SFGH, she may be facing a substantial hospital bill. And she’ll probably need some help with basic expenses while getting her business back on track.

 

Many of you have asked how you can help and have specifically offered to donate funds on her behalf. Audrey has been a little hesitant to say yes, but has come around to understanding that giving help and accepting help are both deliberate acts of love. We don’t have a good state-sponsored safety net in this country, but how fortunate are we that we can link arms and form one for our friend. Our goal is raise enough to cover her medical costs and support her business (pay for her assistant) while she recovers.

 

Let’s take a stand for art and whimsy and remember how much magic Audrey has brought into our lives and the lives of our love ones.
With much love,
Audrey's Community

ps Please feel free to share far and wide!