Support for Sandra - Kayaker Struck by Speedboat
Donation protected
Sandra Perko, of Lunenburg, MA, has a long history on Lake Shirley. Her parents bought property there in 1948 and the family spent summers there while she and her brother Jack/ John grew up.
Sandra took ownership of the property a little over ten years ago and rebuilt the house to accommodate year-round living. Sandra has always had a love affair with the family plot on the lake and treasures every season there from winter wonderland to fall foliage and all between. One of her favorite lake activities is keeping an eye on the eagles, denizens of the lake. About a month ago she was doing just that as she cruised in her kayak to investigate for evidence of young eagles at their nest. During this seemingly serene scene she was suddenly aware of a speed boat heading straight at her. She frantically raised and waved her paddle and shouted but the boat kept coming and she was struck.
Sandra said that the last thing she remembers was seeing the bottom of the boat and the next thing she knew she was waking up in the hospital with severe head injuries. For her, this was a worst-case scenario due to the fact that she is on blood thinners to accommodate the proper operation of her artificial heart valve. Sandra’s serious head trauma has caused heavy bleeding in the left side of her brain and the thinners she requires worsen the bleeding. Thus, ensued a difficult and life-threatening balancing act between taking away the thinners (which could cause valve malfunction or clotting and stroke) and reinstituting the thinners gradually (which can cause more brain hemorrhaging).
Sandra has spent most of the last month in intensive care while doctors monitor any bleeding with regular cat scans and continue the balancing act mentioned above. But let’s not forget that in the meantime Sandra has missed much of her normal daily life on the lake, her weekly outings to ballroom dances, regular monthly sauna gatherings with a large group of cousins and friends, and several special events like a 4-day, 50th reunion event at her alma mater, Smith College as well as dancing performance of her niece in a community theater production, and a 9th birthday party of her grandniece.
Sandra’s personal costs are huge but there are also financial costs which are rising: medical costs, legal costs, loss of work income (part-time, so no sick pay), loss of cell phone, loss of prescription glasses, and of course, the kayak.
So, as a surprise for Sandra, we are reaching out to you, her family and friends for a bit of help to get Sandra back on her feet and back to her relaxed and treasured life on the lake.
Thank you in advance,
John and Joan Perko
Erica Kleiner
Gregory Perko
Nicole Morrison
Sandra took ownership of the property a little over ten years ago and rebuilt the house to accommodate year-round living. Sandra has always had a love affair with the family plot on the lake and treasures every season there from winter wonderland to fall foliage and all between. One of her favorite lake activities is keeping an eye on the eagles, denizens of the lake. About a month ago she was doing just that as she cruised in her kayak to investigate for evidence of young eagles at their nest. During this seemingly serene scene she was suddenly aware of a speed boat heading straight at her. She frantically raised and waved her paddle and shouted but the boat kept coming and she was struck.
Sandra said that the last thing she remembers was seeing the bottom of the boat and the next thing she knew she was waking up in the hospital with severe head injuries. For her, this was a worst-case scenario due to the fact that she is on blood thinners to accommodate the proper operation of her artificial heart valve. Sandra’s serious head trauma has caused heavy bleeding in the left side of her brain and the thinners she requires worsen the bleeding. Thus, ensued a difficult and life-threatening balancing act between taking away the thinners (which could cause valve malfunction or clotting and stroke) and reinstituting the thinners gradually (which can cause more brain hemorrhaging).
Sandra has spent most of the last month in intensive care while doctors monitor any bleeding with regular cat scans and continue the balancing act mentioned above. But let’s not forget that in the meantime Sandra has missed much of her normal daily life on the lake, her weekly outings to ballroom dances, regular monthly sauna gatherings with a large group of cousins and friends, and several special events like a 4-day, 50th reunion event at her alma mater, Smith College as well as dancing performance of her niece in a community theater production, and a 9th birthday party of her grandniece.
Sandra’s personal costs are huge but there are also financial costs which are rising: medical costs, legal costs, loss of work income (part-time, so no sick pay), loss of cell phone, loss of prescription glasses, and of course, the kayak.
So, as a surprise for Sandra, we are reaching out to you, her family and friends for a bit of help to get Sandra back on her feet and back to her relaxed and treasured life on the lake.
Thank you in advance,
John and Joan Perko
Erica Kleiner
Gregory Perko
Nicole Morrison
Fundraising team (5)
Nicole Morrison
Organizer
Lunenburg, MA
Sandra Perko
Beneficiary
John Perko
Team member
Erica Sharon
Team member
Joan Perko
Team member
Gregory Perko
Team member
