Help Tess & Julie for lost wages -car accident

Our dear friends Tess and Julie Tucker-Trainum were hit head on by another car on Thanksgiving morning. This wreck has been a nightmare.

Tess was in the passenger seat when the airbags deployed. It was a violent experience. Tess has a fractured sternum, torn tendons in her shoulder, jammed her knuckles and fractured her T11 vertebrae. She actually has a broken collarbone as well, although that was undetected for three weeks! She was bruised severely by the seat belt shoulder strap. She was in the trauma unit for 5 nights, unable to lift her right arm. She had rotator cuff surgery on 12/10 and was expected to be off work for 3 to 4 months, without pay, for healing and rehab. The doctor called Tess seven days after the surgery to have her come back for X-Rays. As he was reviewing his notes and x-rays he found the collarbone break. He stated he has never seen a break like this on a collarbone. It looks like a shard going up pressing into the muscle and skin. A second surgery was scheduled on 12/21. He put some screws into her collarbone. Rehab won’t take place for 3 to 4 weeks until her shoulder and collarbone are stabilized. They are still hoping with no other surprises that being off work for 3 to 4 months will stand as a rule of thumb.

Julie has a lot of bruising on her sternum and ribs, a seatbelt burn, a broken tooth and an injured foot. The injured foot is the same foot she had surgery on 2 years ago. The Orthopedic doctor who did that surgery said the bones are intact but it has a lot of tissue damage that will take some time to heal. She has been hobbling around giving it her best to take care of Tess and their three dogs and two cats. She is dealing with all the insurance issues that come along with such an event. And there is the daily tasks of keeping up the household. You may not know it, but Julie has Multiple Sclerosis. Julie must be mindful to not have a lot of stress or lack of sleep because that can cause her MS to flare up.

Many of you know that both Tess and Julie have been very active in the community and taken jobs and/ or volunteered to help others in so many ways. They have as a couple loved to give back to the community and to those in need for years. They both work in the nonprofit world giving of themselves whether it is organizing volunteers or working directly with children, youth or adults in need, that is just who they are. They want to be difference makers. A number of Tess and Julie’s friends want to help in this situation where they now have this need, and they are grateful for the help. I have included some pictures of the damage and physical challenge they are going through. Please consider a contribution.