Hi there, I’m Carole LoConte Tedesco. On January 11, 2026, a few days after her 24th birthday, my niece and godchild, Grace Owen, was seriously injured in a head-on collision on her way home from a friend’s house.
The driver who hit her is an off-duty police officer who has been charged with driving under the influence, among other charges. You may have seen the story in the media. If not, you can learn about it here:
According to the nurses who treated her when she arrived at the hospital, Grace is lucky to be alive.
I won’t get into the details of Grace’s injuries out of respect for her privacy, but I can report that she will be hospitalized for quite some time. She is scheduled to have another surgical procedure today—her fourth surgery in eight days. One of the surgical procedures took a full twelve hours. She has a grueling stretch of treatment and rehabilitation ahead of her, and her life has been irrevocably altered through no fault of her own. We are all so grateful for the truly exceptional care she has received thus far.
Grace is a self-employed esthetician—her dream since her early teens. She lives in Marshfield, MA with her mother, my sister Alisa, who works as a part-time babysitter, and her brother Caleb. If Grace and Alisa can’t work, they don’t get paid. They are facing a long period of earning zero income. Caleb works full-time, but his income cannot support the entire household.
Grace and her mom are fiercely private people, and they are uncomfortable with me creating and sharing this gofundme--but their need is clear. We are angry, sad, and frustrated, because this catastrophic crash didn’t have to happen. But it did happen, and it has changed Grace’s life forever.
I have created this gofundme in the hope of raising funds to help with Grace’s medical expenses, rent, temporary housing for Alisa as Grace’s care requires, transportation for Alisa and Caleb, and meeting the family’s essential needs while Grace receives treatment and rehabilitation and both Grace and Alisa are unable to work.
We sincerely appreciate your support, and thank you for reading this far. Any donation, no matter how small, will make a discernable difference in Grace’s life.
We promise to pay it forward.