Tara's Fire fighting Medical fund

Tara worked for the US Forest Service as a Wildland Firefighter and EMT from 2008 through 2015. The physical demands of fighting fire were high and took a large toll on her body which left her with multiple, cumulative injuries and chronic pain. In the fall of 2014, Tara rolled her ankle while hiking out of a fire. She was carrying 75 pounds at the time which caused her outer ankle tendons to become severely stretched and weakened, and eventually caused the arch of her foot to collapse, which is painful and makes walking uncomfortable. Years of rigorous hiking to fires in mountainous areas with heavy gear slowly damaged Tara’s right hip and she now has a tear in the labrum around the ball and socket. Without cortisone shots and PT, walking is painful much less participating fully in the spots she used to enjoy. The general overuse of her body from the strenuous and severe conditions of fighting fire has left her with a bulging disc in her C5/C6 vertebrae which is effecting the nerves in her arms and causes pain throughout her neck, arms and back.

All of these injuries require surgery but after the onslaught of medical bills from diagnosing the extent of the injuries Tara doesn’t have the ability to pay for it. Without surgery, physical therapy can help with pain management but she is even struggling to afford that. For the past 6 months Tara has been trying to re-open her original workers compensation claim for her injuries with the Department of Labor, but as of today she has had no success in getting financial help from the government. 

Tara has been highly self-sufficient her entire life. She works at a restaurant and recently started her own jewelry business. Her long term goal, and the reason she left fire fighting, is to further her education and pursue a career in healthcare, but the pain and financial drain from her injuries have completely haulted her future plans. She recently reached out to us, her brother and sister in law, regarding her situation and to help her set up this GoFundMe campaign to help her get the healthcare that she needs. Your help would be appreciated more than you know. Thank you so much for your time and consideration.