Help Rebecca Recover From Tragic Accident

Over Memorial Day Weekend, my sister Rebecca Willis Schmidt’s life was changed forever when she was run down and nearly killed by a drunk driver just before noon on a Sunday morning.

Rebecca was out for a bike ride on her favorite country road near her home in rural Browns Valley when the driver barreled out of control onto the shoulder and into a ditch where she had fled to avoid him, running her over. Rebecca nearly died in the accident and, if it weren’t for her own miraculous calmness, she surely would have. As it was, she lost her left leg, which was severed in the crash.

Rebecca has the most incredible spirit of any person I have ever met. When she realized her leg had been severed and the only person between herself and certain death was the man who hit her (he later registered a BAC of .25), she managed to get him out of his state of shock to pull her out of the ditch, lift her into the back of his car, and drive her home to her husband, Martin, a few miles away. Martin called 911 while his wife held her own leg above her heart to slow the bleeding. She was helicoptered to a nearby hospital where the amazing medics and medical staff at Sutter Medical Center in Roseville surely saved her life.

Surgeons operated twice to create a clean amputation at the knee. On Day 5, Rebecca was transferred from the Intensive Care Unit to the Sutter Rehabilitation Institute. And now a very, very long road of recovery is in front of my lovely sister. Rebecca is working to restore her independence with a prosthetic leg in six months to a year. Her goal is not just to be able to walk across a room, but to hike in Yosemite.

The motorist was uninsured and there are already mounting costs. A looming cloud of uncertainty is on the horizon, not just financially, but emotionally and physically as Rebecca and her family chart a new road ahead for her.

I have set up this GoFundMe campaign because I have no idea what lies ahead for Rebecca and her family in this unexpected journey. But I’d like to at least help ease some of the financial burden that will surely come their way. My sister is an inspiration to me, and I know that she will teach me many great lessons in the coming months and years. But right now, I just want to help her.

Your donations will be sent directly from the GoFundMe campaign to Rebecca and Martin to cover costs associated with recovery and restoring Rebecca's independence. I will provide updates on her recovery as they become available. Thank you all so much for your thoughts and prayers and love for my sister, Rebecca.