The date is May 14th, 2019. Yesenia (Nia) Ortega is with her husband Angel and youngest Son Danny (Age 10), attending a college baseball game at USA Stadium in the military town of Millington, Tennessee. UT Martin versus the University of Memphis were playing as the stadium was full of little leaguers, who were ready to start their season that week.

 

Many were in attendance in full uniform, Danny included, as a festive atmosphere spread throughout the park on the hot and sunny day. Then the unthinkable occurred. The following is an account of the accident as told by her husband, Petty Officer Angel Ortega:

 

“I love baseball, and we had recently signed up our youngest son, Danny to play his first little league season. My wife and I, having only been stationed here for a short period of time, felt it was important for our sons to become active in athletics and activities around town.
He was starting to enjoy the sport and his interest grew as he completed every weekly practice.

When we got invited to attend the collegiate baseball game, I was excited for him to witness high-level college baseball. We got to the park a little after 6 PM that night, found our seats near the third-base side of the field and started to enjoy the game. A few innings passed, the sun grew hotter and stronger.

I suggested to my wife for us to move seats, seeking a higher vantage point we made our way to the left-field side of the park. On our way there, we reached an area of the park that had looked like an outdoor museum. Four or Five vintage World War 2 vehicles spread across with hollowed-out turrets and all the details of that era intact.

We stopped and enjoyed the sights and conversated on how authentic these vehicles looked and how well they were preserved.
My Son, Danny, did what any kid his age would do: he started exploring and marveling at how “real” these things looked. “It’s all for show, Dan”,
I remember telling him. A few moments later our lives would change forever. Inside the vintage jeep, there were three replicas of vintage guns that did not work. However, there was a handgun inside a military vintage messenger’s bag that was live and fully loaded left unattended by the owner and procurer of the vehicles.

I am normally the default photographer and videographer in the family. I enjoy taking pictures and capturing memories of our young family. On that day, I picked up my phone to take a picture of our Son, playing with these old replicas, but my phone had insufficient storage. I then turned to my wife and asked her if she could take a picture of Danny.


As she took out her phone and got into a position to snap the picture, the replica Danny thought he was holding went off and struck my wife, shattering the phone. The “toy” gun he found was the live handgun. I was inches away from her and she fell into my arms, blood everywhere. Our Son, Danny, in full shock, screaming in a panic, “I thought it was a toy! I thought it was a toy!” Pandemonium rained on the stadium. I immediately ran for help as first responders and off-duty nurses who were attending the game sprung to action to help control the situation until the ambulance arrived.
Waiting for that ambulance and the subsequent ride to the trauma center in Memphis, as my wife was fighting for her life are events I will never forget.

As I write this, I am shaking and in tears. What was supposed to be a simple day of baseball, family, and fun turning out to be the worst day of our lives. I would like to end this tale by thanking those first responders, off-duty nurses, police officers, members of the Millington community and my Naval command for all the help and support they have given our family during this horrible, tragic accident. Our faith, family and belief in our community will continue to be the backbone of our family’s recovery. My wife Yesenia and my son’s support were instrumental in fulfilling my dream of joining the Navy and I will do everything in my power to help her aid in her recovery and to continue to serve my country and community.”

 

Details on Yesenia’s time at the hospital

Yesenia was rushed to the Regional Trauma Center in Memphis, Tennessee where doctors performed an emergency craniectomy to relieve brain pressure. The errant bullet damaged her carotid artery, causing major blood loss, resulting in a stroke. It also penetrated the right side of her brain which resulted in a traumatic brain injury. At this point, she was heavily sedated, on a ventilator and was put in an induced coma. The odds were low that she would make it through the night. The family was told to prepare for the worse. Her strength was fully evident during these first few days. She made it through those first few nights. Then weeks. She was taken off the ventilator and slowly started breathing on her own. Her brain pressure started to come down and she finally opened her eyes. A VP shunt was surgically inserted to prevent a condition called hydrocephalus that was caused by her injuries. Multiple revisions and complications arose during her over 100-day stay at the Trauma Center in Memphis. Multiple times she ended up in the ICU in dire straits, but she kept on fighting and thus far she’s had 7 surgeries in total.

 

Finally leaving the trauma center/Recommended treatment.

 After spending over 100 days at the Trauma Center in Memphis, Yesenia was stable enough to be air-lifted to a leading facility that specializes in traumatic brain injuries and rehabilitation. Specifically, the facility offers a program focusing on “disorders of consciousness”, for patients who are not in a coma but have yet to emerge fully awake from their brain injuries. The goal is that she will one day, emerge from her semi-conscious state. The more severe the injuries the more potential time this will take. In her time at the center, they have done a cranioplasty, a 3-hour procedure to put her skull back together, which was a success. This is hopefully, her final surgery and she has been making slow progress as she undergoes extensive daily PT, OT and Speech therapy.

 

 

Where your funds will go.

 Our goal is to raise $60,000 to help Yesenia with the following:

-Outpatient and specialized rehabilitation once she departs home that is not covered by insurance.

-24/7 skilled nursing home care costs for the foreseeable future.

-Special needs due to her new disabilities (wheelchair, medical van, electric Hoyer lift and accessibility adjustments to her home)

-Living expenses/loss of income to help support a family of four.

-Any other out-of-pocket expenses that she may incur during rehab.

 
More background on Yesenia.

Yesenia is a beloved wife, mother of two amazing boys, sister, and colleague to the Naval community in Millington, TN. A proud military spouse, Navy contractor, and a woman who has supported her family and friends to reach for the stars and who’s smile, and joyful demeanor would light up a room. A woman who once gifted her husband a surprise sky-diving trip for his birthday, Nia has a zest for life that is contagious. A fearless individual who was raising her sons to live life to the fullest and not to be afraid of anything. This stubbornness and willingness to keep on fighting have inspired the community to rally around her and give her family the support they need to get her back on her feet.

 
Thank you for reading Yesenia’s story. We appreciate any help or contribution, no matter how big or small the amount. She has shown a fighting spirit to hold on and keep fighting for her life. Please share our campaign link on social media with your friends and family. Her mother-in-law, Marylin Castro Ortega is organizing the financial aspects on her behalf and will be the beneficiary in allocating and withdrawing the funds into her personal bank account for her recovery. We will keep everyone posted on the use of the funds and on her progress going forward. If you have any questions, feel free to contact us directly.