Support Kathy White's Recovery After Tragic Accident

Audrey Siebrase, niece of Kathy, is managing this fundraiser. The below story was written by Susanne Miltenberger Siebrase, sister of Kathy White, on November 17, 2024:

As many of you know, my sister Kathy was in a horrific car accident Friday afternoon at the Main Gate of Connestee Falls POA. She was driving home from running errands in Brevard when the person exiting onto the highway did not see her car. After eventually being extracted from her car by the Jaws of Life, Kathy was airlifted to Mission Hospital in Asheville.

We don't know the full extent of her injuries yet, but what we do know is that she has a broken hip, compound fractures in both legs, and a fractured ankle, wrist, and arm.

What many of you probably don't know are the physical and emotional mountains she has climbed up and over to reach this past Friday which was, in my opinion, the best day of the life we have shared for the past 12 years.

I took her under my care from Kentucky to Indiana 12 years ago when she could no longer care for herself or manage the care for her dying husband's feeding tube and trachea. Kathy was nearly entirely bedridden, and wheelchair bound due to years-long mismanaged Rheumatoid Arthritis and equally mismanaged pain medication. Her recovery began with psychiatric inpatient care to wean off some of the medications that were causing suicidal ideation. She had both of her knees replaced at the same time and then had to live at an assisted living facility for 2 years until she was able to care for herself and gain her mobility. She subsequently had back surgery and then a shoulder replacement. Through all this, she retained a fighting spirit to recover despite all the hardships she had encountered.

Kathy has been on a fixed income for decades because of her disability and lives paycheck to paycheck. She's been able to work part time in the 6 years we've lived together in North Carolina. She is most recently employed in Housekeeping at Connestee Falls. Her one beloved possession was her 27-year-old Buick Century which is now completely totaled.

On Friday she left for town wearing a pink sweater instead of the usual black we are used to seeing her in, and she bought red leggings at the Goodwill. That was a sign to me of how healthy and happy she was feeling. I can't imagine the medical needs that her injuries will require, but I do know her life will never be the same and that this pain will be unlike any pain she's ever known.

We have decided to start a GoFundMe to collect donations that will be put towards Kathy’s medical bills and recovery effort.