If you’ve spent any time in San Antonio’s bar community over the past three decades, there’s a good chance you know Vikki Buchanan.

And if you know Vikki, you know she has never been just a bartender.

For nearly 30 years, Vikki has built a career doing something she genuinely loves. Along the way, she became the familiar face behind the bar who remembers your name, remembers your drink and probably remembers the story you told her six months ago.

She has celebrated birthdays, anniversaries, new relationships and new beginnings with countless customers. She has listened when someone was having the worst day of their life. She has offered advice, laughter, a hug or simply a safe place to sit for a while.

Over the years, customers became regulars.

Regulars became friends.

And many of those friends became family.

Vikki built a loyal following of people who didn’t just go to a particular bar. They went to see Vikki.

She is also a devoted mother, proud grandmother, fiercely loyal friend and a heart of gold for all.

Vikki has spent much of her life taking care of other people.

Today, we’re asking those people and this community to help take care of her.

Everything Changed During Fiesta

In April, while working during Fiesta, Vikki suffered a devastating fall from a ladder.

The injuries to her knee and leg were severe.

She tore her ACL.

She tore her meniscus.

She suffered two micro-fractures.

What followed were weeks of appointments, uncertainty and pain, ultimately leading to surgery in May.

Since then, Vikki has been fighting her way through physical therapy and rehabilitation.

Recovery has been much more difficult than anyone anticipated.

Months later, Vikki still cannot completely straighten her leg. Her left quadriceps has struggled to properly activate and rebuild strength. Things most of us do without thinking, standing, walking, bending and simply getting through an ordinary day, can now require tremendous effort.

She continues to work with her medical team and physical therapists, doing everything she can to recover.

But healing doesn’t happen according to a schedule.

The Bills Didn’t Stop When Vikki’s Pay Did

Vikki lost the income she depended on to live.

For months, she couldn’t return to her normal work.

Like so many hardworking people would do, Vikki initially tried to handle everything herself.

She relied on the savings she had spent years building and continued pushing forward while concentrating on surgery and rehabilitation.

Month after month, those savings paid for the ordinary expenses that don’t disappear simply because someone gets injured.

Her home.

Utilities.

Groceries.

Transportation.

Insurance.

Everyday necessities.

Those savings are now exhausted.

Vikki was recently approved for unemployment benefits after finally receiving a limited light-duty release. It is an important step forward, but those benefits don’t come close to replacing the income she normally earns or covering all of the expenses that accumulated during months when she couldn’t work.

Even now, her physical limitations remain significant. She needs frequent breaks and continues working toward regaining the strength and mobility necessary to return to normal activity.

This Isn’t Just a Job Vikki Is Trying to Get Back To

This may be the most difficult part of her story.

Bartending has been Vikki’s career for nearly 30 years.

Three decades.

She didn’t simply show up, pour drinks and collect a paycheck.

Vikki spent those years building something.

She built relationships.

She built a reputation.

She built a loyal customer base.

She became a popular bartender because she worked for it, one shift and one customer at a time.

There are people who have followed Vikki from one bar to another over the years because Vikki herself was part of the reason they came through the door.

That’s something that can’t simply be replaced.

And bartending is intensely physical work.

It means spending long shifts on your feet. Walking constantly. Pivoting. Bending. Squatting. Lifting. Carrying. Moving quickly through tight spaces and keeping pace when a bar is packed.

Right now, Vikki doesn’t know when, or at what capacity, her knee will allow her to return to the career she has spent nearly three decades building.

She hopes she will.

She’s working incredibly hard to get there.

But today, there are still more questions than answers.

In Vikki’s Own Words

Recently, Vikki shared publicly just how much this experience has affected her.

She talked about the trauma, the pain and the seemingly endless rehabilitation.

She talked about being tired of always having to be the “Wonder Woman” everyone expects her to be.

And she shared one of her greatest fears:

“I am facing the possibility of losing everything I have worked for. My home. My livelihood. My career.”

Those words say something that pictures of surgery, scars and an injured knee never could.

This accident didn’t just hurt Vikki physically.

It interrupted the life she had built.

It took away her ability to earn her normal living.

It depleted her financial safety net.

It threatened her independence.

And it has left her wondering what a future that once seemed certain might now look like.

Vikki also wrote:

“I have given my life for my family and community. I have given everything I have behind the bar to everyone who ever needed anything.”

Anyone who has known her for very long understands exactly what she means.

Vikki has always been the strong one.

The one who works.

The one who takes care of her family.

The one who shows up.

The one who checks on everybody else.

The one behind the bar who notices when you’re having a bad day and asks what’s wrong.

The one who somehow finds enough strength for everyone around her.

But after months of fighting through this injury, Vikki finally admitted something that isn’t easy for someone as fiercely independent as she is to say:

She’s tired.

And that’s okay.

Even Wonder Woman sometimes needs someone else to help carry the weight.

That’s Why We’re Asking for Your Help

This fundraiser isn’t about replacing everything Vikki has lost.

It’s about giving her some breathing room while she heals.

It’s about helping keep a roof over her head.

Keeping the utilities on.

Putting groceries in the refrigerator.

Keeping transportation available for appointments and physical therapy.

Helping with everyday living expenses while she continues fighting to regain her mobility, strength and independence.

Most importantly, it’s about allowing Vikki to concentrate a little more on getting better and a little less on wondering which bill she can afford to pay next.

If Vikki has ever poured you a drink, made you laugh, remembered your name, remembered your order, listened when you needed someone, celebrated with you, comforted you, hugged you, supported you or simply made your night a little brighter, this is our opportunity to return some of that kindness.

No contribution is too small.

$10 helps.

$20 helps.

$50 helps.

Whatever someone can comfortably give will make a difference.

And if you aren’t in a position to donate, please share this fundraiser.

Share it with friends.

Share it with former coworkers.

Share it with people who remember Vikki from years ago.

Share it with the San Antonio community she has spent decades serving.

One share could reach someone who hasn’t seen Vikki in years but still remembers the bartender who knew their name and made them feel welcome.

At the end of her recent message to friends, Vikki wrote about how much it has meant to have been part of so many people’s lives over the years.

She said:

“It has been my pleasure to serve you.”

That sentence says so much about who Vikki is.

For nearly 30 years, she has stood on the other side of that bar and served thousands of people.

But she has done a lot more than serve drinks.

She has created friendships.

She has created memories.

She has created community.

She has been there for people.

And right now, Vikki needs her people.

She isn’t giving up.

She’s healing.

She’s fighting.

She’s doing the physical therapy.

She’s trying to rebuild the strength in her leg.

She’s trying to figure out what comes next.

And she’s trying to hold onto the life she worked so hard to build while doing it.

So for everyone Vikki has taken care of over the years, this is our chance to take care of her.

Vikki has always been there for us.

Now let’s be there for Vikki. ❤️

Thank you for every donation, every share, every prayer, every message, every phone call and every person who reminds her that she doesn’t have to face this chapter alone.

Let’s help Vikki get back on her feet.