Help Support Corey's Road to Recovery

Dear Friends, Family, and Other Compassionate Supporters stopping by and giving us their time: I, Valerie Palomo-Ruecker, am reaching out on behalf of my husband, Corey Ruecker, who was involved in a life-changing motorcycle accident last month, the morning of June 10, 2023, in Glendale, CA.

Corey was immediately taken to the Adult Level I trauma center at Los Angeles General Medical Center (formerly LAC+USC), and then spent two weeks in the intensive care unit (ICU) due to the numerous critical injuries he endured. For the first week, Corey was intubated as a result of his significantly bruised lungs (particularly his left lung) and fractured ribs on both sides. He also suffered a fractured neck, and fractured spine in two places in addition to his angel wings/shoulder blades, a shattered left wrist, nerve damage in his right arm and hand, a fractured right hip, and a fractured left knee.

Following a couple of surgeries and extubation, Corey was then transferred to the acute rehabilitation center at Hollywood Presbyterian Hospital where he spent five and a half weeks in recovery with the help of a team of doctors and nurses, occupational therapists, and physical therapists. But, after going back and forth with his insurance provider to keep him in rehab longer, he was prematurely discharged from the rehab center. Although I wish he would have gotten more time at the rehab center, after two months of being hospitalized, he is home now and is just beginning his long road to recovery.

My husband is a right-handed Los Angeles-based artist, and for the time being (as we are hopeful that it is just temporary), the nerve damage to his right side has left him without the use of his right hand. When Corey is not expressing himself and his cultural background through his art, he spends his time caring for the environment around him as a horticulturalist and nurseryman. All of his passions are currently being modified while he is recovering from this tragic and abrupt disruption of his day-to-day life and adjusting to life outside of the hospital.

My husband has worked hard for 15+ years to become a well-respected and beloved artist in his community and other parts of the country, and, although it will take time, I know he will paint again as he did before this devastating day in June. Recovery has been slow and painful for him, but with constant encouragement and support from those closest to him, he has made it this far. I believe that Corey's faith, with the help and support of his beloved friends, family, and supporters will help him overcome this challenging time and come out stronger than he was before.

I have taken a leave of absence from work (Paid Family Leave) to help care for my husband, but in a couple of weeks, I will need to return to work and I'm worried about everything that we will need to balance when I go back. Corey is currently not working and has encountered issues with receiving disability from the Employment Development Department (EDD) because he doesn't have a primary care doctor to fill out his paperwork.

This fundraiser is to help get my husband additional nursing care, physical and occupational therapy, and see the specialists that he needs to see to make a full and strong recovery. We hope that these funds will help us work with Rehab Without Walls (RWW) to give Corey the best chance he has at gaining complete use of his right arm/hand and getting his neck brace and body brace off in three months and keep them off; however, RWW is an expensive program that we cannot afford at this time without your contribution. This program would allow my husband to readjust and learn how to function as a disabled person. And, some of the funds that we raise will also help us with daily, weekly, and monthly expenses as we sort out Corey's financial situation.

Any contribution is helpful and will help us reach our goal. Please know that your help is greatly appreciated and we send each of you a big thank you from our little family to yours. We also kindly ask that you please share this link with any friends or family that you think would like to contribute to our fundraiser.

Please also feel free to send Corey (IG: @flamenhotcheetoz) or myself (IG: @the.vee.pee) any words of encouragement or notes of positivity.

Much love, peace and blessings always.

Valerie Palomo-Ruecker and Corey Ruecker