On Sunday night, my son Kaleb and his girlfriend Grace were involved in a serious car accident after hitting a downed tree that was stretched across Millhopper Road. Both were rushed by ambulance to HCA North Florida. While Kaleb suffered some bruised ribs, his main concern was Grace, who took the brunt of the impact. He checked himself out of the hospital just to be by her side. Grace’s injuries were severe—she shattered the lower tibia and fibula in her right leg and underwent the first of many surgeries on Monday. The doctors expect a long road to recovery, with more surgeries and at least two months in the hospital ahead.

To make matters worse, everything they had in the car was lost. The tow company disposed of their belongings, including Kaleb’s laptop, school papers, and his new skateboard, as well as Grace’s personal items. Both Kaleb and Grace have already lost hours at work, and they were on a tight budget even before the accident. Now, they’re facing mounting medical bills, the cost of replacing essential items, and the challenge of traveling an hour each way to the hospital in Ocala for Grace’s care.

Everyone knows the difficult time our family has been facing in just a short month. Any help that people can offer we would love to thank them in advance for their continued kindness that they have shown. The pain that Kaleb and Grace have endured just from the accident has been a lot and if we all could help just a little while they are going through these next steps, anything would be more than appreciated. Your support will help cover living expenses, replace what was lost, and make the journey to recovery a little easier for these two wonderful young people.