My name is Nicole, and Lucky is my boyfriend of over six years. We have lived together since we were 17, grown up together, and built our life side by side.

Sunday night was supposed to be spent celebrating Lucky’s 22nd birthday. Instead, it became the most terrifying night of our lives. Lucky was riding as a passenger in the back of a golf cart when he was thrown from it. He was not the driver. He suffered a traumatic head injury, a skull fracture, a brain bleed, a broken nose, and multiple broken facial bones. He was first taken to McHenry Hospital before being airlifted to Park Ridge for a higher level of care.

There are really no words to explain what it feels like to watch the person you love go through something like this. In one night, everything we had built and everything we had planned for our future suddenly felt like it could be taken away. This accident nearly took Lucky’s life, and everything since then has felt unreal.

For days, he has required intensive care and support from a breathing tube while his doctors closely monitored his brain injury and kept him stable and comfortable.

Lucky has since undergone surgery to repair his fractured skull and thankfully is doing well following the procedure. We are so grateful for every good sign and every bit of progress, but right now everything is still being taken day by day. There are still so many unknowns about exactly how his brain and body will respond as he continues to recover.

We have been told to expect a long hospital stay, likely several weeks and possibly even a month or longer, and we know his recovery will continue long after he leaves the hospital. He may need rehabilitation, therapy, follow-up care, and a significant amount of time away from work as he heals.

Since the accident, Lucky has been surrounded by so much love and support from myself, his family, and the people closest to him. We have all been doing everything we can to be there for Lucky through the ICU, surgery, countless sleepless nights, and all of the uncertainty that comes with something this serious. We have sat with him, talked to him, held his hand, and tried to be there for him in every way we can, making sure he knows just how deeply loved and supported he is.

His friends and the rest of his family have also shown an incredible amount of love and support. So many people have come to see him, checked in, prayed for him, and reminded us just how deeply loved Lucky really is.

Anyone who knows Lucky knows exactly why he is so loved. He is funny, kind, hardworking, genuine, and the type of person who can make people laugh even on their worst days. Seeing how many people have shown up for him has meant more to all of us than I can put into words.

To make everything even more overwhelming, Lucky recently started a new job and his health insurance does not become active until October. Between the emergency care, helicopter transport, ICU stay, surgery to his skull, hospital care, follow-up treatment, and rehabilitation he may need, the medical expenses are going to be significant.

Lucky is expected to be hospitalized for weeks, and I plan to remain by his side through as much of this as I possibly can. While I am incredibly grateful to have support that allows me to be here with him, Lucky is unable to work for an unknown amount of time, and we still have all of our normal household expenses along with the unexpected costs that will come with his recovery. We still have rent, vehicle payments, utilities, insurance, and everyday bills that do not stop just because our lives have been turned upside down.

We are incredibly fortunate to have so much love and support surrounding us, and Lucky’s mom, sister, brothers, dad, family & friends, and I will all continue to be there for him throughout his recovery. But there is still a long and uncertain road ahead.

I am asking our friends, family, and community to come together and help support Lucky during this unimaginable time. Every donation, no matter the amount, will help with his medical and recovery expenses and help us keep up with our household bills while he is unable to work. More than anything, it will give us a little less to worry about so we can focus on Lucky’s healing and helping him get back to the life and people he loves.

If you are unable to donate, please know that simply sharing this link can still make a huge difference. Every share helps Lucky’s story reach more people and brings more support to him and his recovery.

Please also keep Lucky and all of us in your prayers. For his mom, myself, his brother, his sister, his dad, his family, and so many of his close friends, this has been one of the most terrifying and heartbreaking experiences of our lives. We are all trying to stay strong for him while taking this one day at a time.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart to everyone who has already shown up for Lucky and for all of us. Every prayer, message, visit, share, and bit of support has meant more than I can explain.