Niko Folkestad's Recovery Troop

Early morning May 19, 2021, Niko Folkestad (son of Michele Doumitt and Paul Folkestad) was a passenger in a car that crashed into a light pole on SE Hawthorne Blvd. The force of the crash caused the vehicle to split in half, sending all four occupants to trauma centers, and caused very serious injuries to Niko’s lower legs as he was trapped under the vehicle. If not for the immediate response of Portland firefighters, police, and paramedics, Niko would have died at the scene due to massive blood loss. A news reporter at the accident scene later that morning said that this was the worst crash he had ever seen and was surprised that anyone could have survived.

Niko had emergency surgery at OHSU to stabilize his injuries, which lasted almost 10 hours and included a team of multiple specialized surgeons. He is receiving the best care possible made up of many teams including Trauma, Vascular, Orthopedic, Infectious Disease, Endocrinology, Speech Pathology, Neurology, Physical Therapy, Plastic Surgery and a Pain team. In his first week in the ICU and Trauma departments, Niko endured four more surgeries and we are told he will still need 15-20 more to place additional pins and rods, repair as much tissue as possible, and close his wounds. Following this, and assuming all goes well, he will have a long journey of intense physical therapy to learn to walk again using prosthetics.

We set up this fund to raise money for Niko and his family to help with the next few months of extra care that will be needed. This will be used to pay for special treatments and therapy that may not be fully covered by insurance and family expenses related to Niko’s hospital stay. By joining us to contribute in this way, we can collectively make a difference in Niko’s recovery. Thanks for your prayers and good wishes for Niko and his family.