Help Garan & Nancy Shaw on Garan’s Road to Recovery

On April 12th, Garan Shaw was working on an old car that he was fixing up to gift to a kid in need of a vehicle (in true Garan fashion, always helping someone else). There was gasoline in the carburetor and it spontaneously combusted causing a flash fire. Garan’s clothing ignited and he dove face first into the dirt, rolling across the road and ripping his remaining clothes off to extinguish the flames, suffering burns on his body including his chest, arms, stomach, neck, and face. He ran to the neighbor’s house for help and when they got the fire put out, Garan was able to make contact with Dolores Resources to take him to the Cortez hospital where he was put into a medically induced coma and flown to UC Health Anschutz Burn Center in Aurora, Colorado. He suffered burns to 25% of his body, including internal damage from inhaling the flames. He has had several surgeries already, with more to come. It is likely that he will be in Denver for a number of months while he recovers.

In addition to Garan’s situation, his mother, Nancy, has been in Aurora (six hours from their home) to help Garan stay strong and get through the long road ahead. Nancy is a 35 year veteran of the Montezuma Cortez School District and takes so much pride in sharing her knowledge with children. The loving mother that she is, Nancy has chosen to be by Garan’s side through this, therefore leaving her home life behind.

Unfortunately only some of the medical expenses may be covered by the tribe. In addition to those costs, there are so many huge financial burdens that this amazing family needs our help with. We are starting our goal at $100,000, but over time, we could see this number increase. There is still so much that is unknown and we want to make sure they are being taken care of. As of right now, this goal will go towards hotel stays for the family, travel expenses, and the income that was expected over the next several months that Garan had jobs booked on.

If you know Garan, you know he is one of the most selfless people on this planet. He is notorious for putting everyone’s needs above his own, especially when it comes to his ever-so-adored mother, Nancy. Over roughly a decade ago, Garan was the first one on the scene to a car fire where he risked his own life to save a mother and one of her children. No matter anyone’s trouble or struggles, he is always willing to jump in and lend an ear, a hand, or just a hug - he truly is one of the best friends and family members anyone could be so fortunate to have. He is always wearing a huge smile, always joking around, and constantly trying to make other people laugh and make the most of their lives. He also loves lunch. Garan loves booking multiple luncheons per day so that he can be sure to see as many friends as he possibly can in a 6 hour period, and eat as many goodies as possible, but also never miss out. If you end up at a 4:00 lunch with Garan, it’s because he had three other lunches before you but didn’t want to skip out on any of them. He really does live life to the fullest in his own special way.

Our donations will not change what happened to Garan or change the long road of treatments he has ahead in the hospital, but it will ease the stress of what comes next. Having to play catch up from something of this significance, you just never catch up on your own. It takes a village, and together we can give them that peace of mind and help show them how important they really are to this community.

For those that cannot donate via GoFundMe, and prefer something more manual, we will be setting up an account at a local bank to take direct donations. We will update everyone as we hear more and will provide more details on expenses that need coverages should the goal change.

We will continue to keep everyone updated here as we reach any big milestones. We will also keep the financial goals updated and explain any adjustments as there is still so much we do not know.

Lastly, thank you so much to every single person who has sent a message, a gift, words of encouragement, providing aftercare solutions, and financial support. He appreciates it so much and loves you all. here when that information is available. Garan is not someone to ask for help, and it took some convincing to get him to let us do this for them. He is forever grateful and feels so loved by you all.