Support Katie Wadas' Road to Recovery

Hello, my name is Evan Worsley and I am running this GFM for our good friend Katie Wadas. Katie is not only part of our unofficial family but many others as well. She was in an awful accident and has a long road ahead. We are raising money to help cover the costs of her medical and rehabilitation journey which will be long, painful and expensive. She is never one to ask for help, so I am asking for her. Please take the time to read, comment, share and donate if you are able. Katie and her family are very important members of our community and we want to support her as such. All money raised will be directly used for medical and rehabilitation costs as insurance limits for both the at fault driver as well as Katie have already been surpassed.

By now I am sure many of you have heard the devastating news from the evening of May 29th around 6:25 PM in Parker Colorado. Katie was doing what she loves most, and what you can almost always find her doing, driving to basketball for her daughter Reyleigh. Whether it’s practice, trainings or games the duo can almost always be found somewhere in the state or even across the country in a loud, oftentimes crowded and hot gym.

Katie was less than a mile from Legend High School that evening, on her way to watch Rey play her second set of games in as many nights as her high school senior season is underway. As many mom’s can vouch for, her mind was on Rey even before the game had started. She had just stopped at a neat little sandwhich shop she had seen near the high school. Rey loves herself a good sandwich and Katie was excited to also have found her favorite chips and drink as well! Shortly after leaving the sandwhich shop and just before pulling into the high school with her treats in hand, tragedy struck. Seemingly from out of nowhere, a vehicle had somehow crossed 4 lanes of traffic and a large raised median. It was now airborne and with little to no warning it was on-top of Katie’s car before she even had time to react or process what was happening. The car that had been heading in the opposite direction, without warning almost veered at a 45 degree angle and had become air born from the median twisting in the air. It had left the ground after contacting the median and was twisting in the air, coming to a rest upside down and directly on top of Katie’s SUV. The wreckage of twisted and mangled metal, broken glass, leaking fluids and bystanders running to help was something I thought only existed in movies.

Tragically the young driver did not survive the impact and we are told passed quickly and in little to no pain which is about the only comforting news one can take from this situation. Cars were stopping to help, people running and calling 911. The first person to arrive at Katie’s car, was heard by Katie herself saying I am afraid to look, there is no way they can be alive. It was at the moment Katie screamed, “I am alive please help me”. Her SUV somehow wrapped her in a safety cocoon. However, weight of the vehicle directly on top of both Katie and her car had done its damage. Katie’s right hand that had been on the steering wheel was crushed. It was unusable and causing a level of pain she had never felt. She then tried her other arm, that didn’t work either as we found out her collar bone had been severely broken rendering both hands/arms useless. She couldn’t push herself up, crawl, or really do anything. A passing by off duty fire fighter was quick to the scene. He broke out her remaining windows and pried her back door open. He was quick to realize there was little he could do at the moment other than comfort her. We are incredibly thankful for this mans kindness and willingness to comfort her in this horrible time of tragedy. In true Katie and mom fashion, her first words were “someone please call my daughter and tell her I’m going to be a little late”. By now, the amazing Parker Police Department had swarmed the scene, SMFR firefighters and rescue were there and quickly went to work freeing her from the wreckage. Jaws of life had to be used to gain enough access to her where the emergency crews could grab onto her, pull her out and onto a stretcher all while protecting her neck and back from any possible injuries. Katie was rushed to Parker Adventist Hospital where they took incredible care of her for the next 8 days. While there, she underwent a complete hand and wrist reconstruction where almost every bone in her right hand and forearm had to be reset, pinned and screwed back together. Several days later she had two plates and 11 screws put in to put her collarbone back together.

Finally on June 5th with her best friend, ex husband and daughter by her side. She was able to return home to Windsor where she must now figure out how to navigate life as a single mom, who also happens to be incredibly independent with no use of either hand/arm while they are immobilized while she heals for the next 6 months. Many people have rallied around her as you can imagine, home improvements for her have already been made and work accommodations are in the works. Meal train details are being put together to help her and Rey with meals. While amazing progress has already been made with her recovery, Katie still faces a really long road ahead. As you can imagine, medical bills are piling up. Insurance can only do so much based on limits which were quickly met and maxed out yet the costs keep coming and will continue to.

We ask if you are at all able to, please help Katie in her time of need. She has never and will never asked for help, but she has also never faced a challenge like this. Since she doesn’t ask for help, I am instead asking for help. If there is anything you can do to help this amazing woman and family, it would be so much appreciated. All monies raised will be directly used to help cover the incoming medical costs associated with the hospital stay, surgeries , rehabilitation, follow up appointments, physical therapy, and the list goes on. As someone who has known this amazing family for sometime, I along with many others, will not give up doing everything we can to help her. Not only are they a great family, but a great part of our Northern Colorado and Windsor community. If anyone has any questions or would like more info on how to help, please let me know.

With much love and gratitude,

Evan Worsley.