Support Curtis's Recovery After Miracle Survival

My name is Sebastianna Mac Arthur. My husband Curtis was sitting next to our Chevy Tahoe, working on changing our rear brake pads while I played with our kids on the other side of our driveway. We suddenly heard Curtis cry out in a way I had never heard from him before. When I got to the side of the car, he was being crushed under the tire rotor and he couldn't breathe. The car jack had slipped off the metal and fell. The handle wasn't screwed to the jack, so it kept falling off and was stuck under the car. My neighbor was trying to help, but as we kept trying to reposition the jack, the handle kept falling off. So, my neighbor went for help, and I was finally able to get the jack up and started pumping it to lift the car off of Curtis until I was able to grab his arm and pull him free. But it had taken us about 4 minutes to get him free, and he had been unresponsive for a few minutes already. I lifted his chin and rubbed his chest, and he suddenly sucked in air, but his face was swollen and purple, he was bleeding from his mouth, and he wasn't responding.

At the hospital, I found out that he had 2 broken ribs on his right side, a pneumothorax in his right lung that was collapsing, and his pupils were blown and unresponsive to light. He has an anoxic brain injury and brain swelling, acute respiratory failure, encephalopathy, and a 7-inch superficial blood clot in his left dominant hand, which is numb, swollen, and very difficult for him to use. He is not just a construction worker; he is also an artist. He was put into a medically induced coma, and the doctors told me he had a very slim chance of ever waking up again, and that was being positive. So, the next morning when they lightened the sedation, the doctors and nurses were all amazed that he awoke and was able to follow commands. They said it was a miracle that he is alive, and all the medical staff and family celebrated this miracle.

Because he was crushed by the SUV, they tried to bill our car insurance, which doesn't cover this kind of accident, and we tried to get him on medical insurance in the hospital, but we weren't successful. It's not just the medical bills; Curtis needs physical, mental, and respiratory therapy to be continued at home. He has short-term memory loss, and he doesn't have a lot of impulse control (from the brain injury), meaning he needs me to help supervise him and shouldn't be left alone. His eyes are bruised, swollen and in pain for which he wears protective sunglasses to help with his eye sight and minimize pain. He must also have low light and low stimulation to protect his eyes and his brain injury. He cannot lift more than 10 lbs, and because of these injuries, he is unable to go to his construction job for at least a month, and he is the sole provider for our family.

Our three children, ages 4, 6, and 9, witnessed this tragic accident and tried to help lift the SUV off of their daddy as well. We are all struggling with PTSD, and family counseling is needed to help us deal with the aftereffects we are all experiencing from this trauma. Our family is in a tough situation and unable to support ourselves and all of his needs while Curtis is out of work. We would be eternally grateful to any and all for your donations and support by sharing this post. Thank you all for your love and support