Please consider a donation to help Rizka Budiati-Szkutnik cover hospital bills, rehabilitation, and time away from work as she recovers from a life-changing accident.

On Saturday, May 23, 2026, Rizka, a 41-year-old single mom of two, was scrambling in the Olympic Mountains when she took a 300-foot fall down a slushy couloir on Mt. Deception. An experienced and passionate adventurer who found healing and joy in the mountains after COVID, Rizka loves hiking, climbing, and scrambling, often with friends. She is known for writing detailed trip reports. She was doing what she loved when the unexpected happened. Thanks to her partners and fast rescue, she was flown by LifeFlight to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle.

Rizka arrived stable with multiple injuries, including multiple rib, nose, and, spinal process fractures, abdominal hematoma, pulmonary contusions, and head lacerations. She had cerebellar stroke from a traumatic injury to her vertebral artery(s) in her neck. This led to swelling that required close monitoring, medications, and possible procedures to manage pressure in her brain.

At 41 and otherwise healthy, Rizka has a strong chance for good recovery. The coming weeks and months will involve intensive physical and occupational therapy to regain balance, coordination, and strength. Cerebellar strokes can affect dizziness and gait, so the road ahead will take time and dedicated work.

As a single mom, this has turned Rizka’s world upside down. Her two children need their mom back home and healthy. She will be unable to work during this recovery, and the medical costs for a complex trauma and stroke case like this, including hospitalization, possible neurosurgical interventions, daily rehab, and more, add up quickly even with insurance.

If you know Rizka, you have seen her positive spirit, determination, and deep love for the outdoors. Those same qualities will help carry her through this challenge. We are so grateful for the mountain community, friends, and family who have already shown up for her.

Any support, financial or otherwise, will allow Rizka to focus completely on healing and returning to her kids and the trails she holds so dear. Prayers, positive thoughts, and shares are greatly appreciated too.