Help Devin avoid medical bankruptcy

Hi Everybody! My name is Devin, but my friends call me Bird. I am humbly telling my story and creating this fundraiser in an attempt to offset my crippling medical debt following a luckily non-crippling paragliding injury. While I am fortunate to have health insurance through the graduate program at Montana State University, due to the various copays, deductibles, and downright bad timing, I am looking at $12-15,000 out of pocket. While I am pursuing my PhD in physical chemistry I have little hope of recouping the costs associated with my recovery and I fear personal financial insolvency. I am not usually one to ask for this kind of help, however it has become apparent that I need financial assistance. I am asking as one human to another for whatever you can spare, even if it just sharing this story.

The details:

On July 30, 2021 I was involved in a freak paragliding accident outside Livingston, MT. As a USHPA P-3 rated paraglider pilot I felt confident in launching in the current and predicted conditions on that afternoon. Approximately 120 minutes into my flight unpredictable and erratic weather resulted in sudden turbulent and dangerous, widespread rising air. Over the course of 15-20 minutes I fought the changing conditions in an attempt to reach a safe landing zone. A vicious final gust blew me 100-150 yards south of the LZ where, only 20-30 feet off the ground I took a 75% wing collapse. Fortunately I was in PLF landing position hitting feet first, then to my rear and back. This resulted in the safest possible landing, with me alive and fortunately without major head injury. However, it did result in a near 85% compression fracture of my Sacrum, a complex series of fractures in my pelvis and coccyx, and numerous radial fractures in my right arm.

I am thankful for the vigilant and quick response of my paragliding companions as well as the Park County EMS services, who luckily drove an ambulance right up to me. The following 24-hours are a bit of a blur, being transported first to the ER in Livingston, then on to a Level 2 trauma center in Billings. I was scheduled for two surgeries, one for my back and pelvis and the other for my arm. During my first surgery the hospital was struck by lightning resulting in auxiliary power taking over, and my surgery being cut short due to sterility concerns (I know this string of bad luck doesn't seem real, trust me I wish it weren't). Three days later a neurosurgeon, an orthopedic specialist, and a general surgeon finished my first surgery with resounding success. My right arm was stabilized internally with a titanium plate which will be removed in several months with yet another surgery. I spent nine days in the hospital before moving on to a rehab facility for an additional week.

While it is beyond incredible how fast I am recovering, thanks to modern medicine, the road ahead is a long one, and has the potential to ruin me financially. The string of bad luck continues as my health insurance yearly deductible reset 36 hours into this ordeal, essentially doubling my potential out of pocket expense. While I am incredibly thankful for all the wonderful people in my life and the great fortune of excellent medical care that I received, the cost is now more crippling than my injuries. A year to recover physically 100% may take me over half a decade to recover financially.

Thank you for taking the time to read my story. Again, any little bit you can spare (or share) helps!