Help me recover after being t-boned by a truck
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Hi, my name is Chloe, and I’m reaching out for support during one of the most difficult times of my life. On October 2nd, 2024, I was t-boned on the driver’s side by a truck while on holiday in Canada. I was driving, and the only person in the car at the time. Even though I was briefly trapped, I managed to extract myself from the vehicle, crawl to relative safety, and make the 911 call.
The accident left me with severe injuries, including a a lacerated spleen, serious internal bleeding, multiple pelvic bone breaks, pubic symphysis separation, a broken sacrum, and a host of other less lift-threatening injuries that have made life incredibly painful and difficult.
I'm expected to require in-patient care for the coming months, followed by several months of outpatient rehabilitation.
While I am grateful to be alive, the journey ahead is long, difficult, and uncertain.
How You Can Help:
The medical bills are piling up quickly. Due to the accident happening outside of my home country, my medical insurance coverage is capped extremely low. After only nine days in the hospital receiving pain management (and no remedial care), I’m already tens of thousands of dollars in debt. To make matters worse, healthcare costs for foreigners are nearly doubled here, and the hospital fees alone—excluding treatments, medications, and services—amount to nearly $5,000 per night.
On top of that, I need to return to Australia as soon as possible for the surgery to realign my hips/pelvis, which would cost too many hundreds of thousands of dollars here in Canada. To take this flight, I’ve had to purchase mobility equipment (wheelchair, walker, commode, Roho cushion, etc), stock up on unsubsidised medications, have my mum fly to Canada to accompany me (as I’m not cleared to fly alone), and secure accessible flight tickets. The costs for this journey are currently around $50,000.
Given that the recovery is so long, my ability to generate income will be significantly impacted for many months so the thought of any more large, unexpected expenses is extremely daunting.
Lastly, I’ve lived outside of Australia for the last 2.5 years so I have concerns about where I might live during rehab, and transitioning back to life down under with such overwhelming physical and financial limitations.
Your donation will go towards:
- Canadian medical bills, including hospital stay, ambulance services, A&E services, medications, mobility equipment, medical imaging, orthopaedic and trauma surgeon consultations, OT and physio services, emergency mental health care services.
- Rehabilitation and physical therapy costs (daily treatment is expected to be required for 3-4 months after inpatient time is complete)
- Dental work as my teeth were chipped upon impact.
- Daily living expenses during the long recovery period, including rent in an accessible place, utilities, food, etc.
- Assistance with transportation to and from medical appointments as I will be disabled for the foreseeable future.
- Ongoing Mental health services. Although some care will be subsidised in Australia, I’m very concerned about how much support I’ll truly need to find my place in this world again.
Why Your Support Matters:
I’ve always taken pride in helping others—whether friends or strangers—and never thought I’d be in a position to ask for this kind of support. It’s been a rude and cruel awakening to realise that had this accident happened in Australia, there wouldn’t be this enormous financial strain on top of the numerous other challenges, like trying to stay alive. It’s a deeply dehumanising experience.
I’m someone who believes that people are fundamentally good, and that with hope, love, grit, and compassion, life can be wonderful in almost any circumstance if we choose to make it that way. I am fiercely determined to focus on my blessings, let myself feel the warmth of love and sunshine, and to let this series of horrors make me a better, more compassionate, and positive person.
I’ll admit that setting up this GoFundMe raises many difficult emotions: sadness, shame, embarrassment, devastation, and heartbreak. Part of me still hopes I’ll wake up from this nightmare, with no scars and able to walk again immediately and have all my blood back where it’s supposed to be. If only it were that simple.
But I am not too proud to ask for help. This accident has been hell, and I need your support to come out the other side.
Any contribution, no matter how small, will make a huge difference in my life. If you’re unable to donate, sharing this page with your network would mean the world to me.
Regardless of your ability to financially contribute, you can still make a difference by holding your loved ones a little tighter today, letting them know how cherished they are, and counting all your blessings together. Any good we can do in the world makes a difference.
Thank you so much for taking the time to read my story. Your kindness, support, and generosity mean the world to me <3
Organizer
Chloe Mibus
Organizer
Hamilton, VIC