Help Us Rebuild Hope For Aedan Raycraft

Hello, my name is Aven Lay and I am a close friend to the family of Aedan Raycraft. On the evening of December 27th, 2023 Aedan was in an extreme car accident and ejected from his passenger seat through the windshield of the vehicle and endured severe trauma which resulted in him being airlifted from Munson Hospital in Traverse City Michigan to The University of Michigan Hospital in Ann Arbor for immediate spinal surgery and treatment. Aedan was found by community members immediately after the crash happened, the police were called and Aedan and the driver were taken to the hospital via ambulance. Aedan sustained a laundry list of injuries consisting of but not limited to, multiple rib fractures on both sides, spinal fractures on vertebrae T-2 to T-8 one of which was split open and exposed, two collapsed lungs, a mandibular fracture in his jaw leaving bones exposed inside of his mouth and a clavicle fracture. Early morning on December 28th 2023 he received surgery on his spine which consisted of 7 vertebrae getting fused back together and straightening of his spine. He cannot receive care on his jaw until he no longer needs to be intubated. Aedan was given a feeding tube via his nose and awoken from sedation on December 29th 2023 and was able to communicate by nodding his head, moving his hands and using pen and paper to write. He is still learning what has happened to him and was drifting in and out of consciousness while using his pen and paper to communicate with his family. As of December 30th 2023 Aedan is no longer awake, conscious or communicating and had to have a second tube inserted into his right lung. This devastating car crash happened while Aedan was a passenger in his girlfriends vehicle in which she was operating while under the influence of alcohol. This unfortunately caused the vehicle to veer off of the road and roll. Aedan’s beloved dog, Motley, who Aedan has chosen homelessness in the past in order to keep sadly did not survive the crash, as he was a passenger in the back seat at the time of the accident. Motley was found by community members and police underneath the upside down vehicle unresponsive at the scene of the accident. Aedans brother Sebastian was able to retrieve Motley’s body so that he can have a proper burial.

Aedan has a long recovery ahead, it is unknown if he will be able to walk again. He will have to be hospitalized for a long time and family will have to rotate driving nearly 3 1/2 hours to see him until he is discharged. Aedan built a career in the construction field hanging and finishing drywall since 2020. He has worked for numerous companies and has been sub contracted with his brother on jobs. He’s worked to accumulate his DBA and purchase all tools necessary to complete his work. He has made amazing accomplishments in his career especially at being only 20 years old. These injuries will change Aedan’s life forever, and he will not be able to continue his line of work for quite some time, if not ever even after recovery. We are asking that anyone who has extra funds to share would please donate to help Aedan recover. We are collecting funds for future medical expenses that may not be covered by insurance, food expenses, travel and lodging expenses for family, rehabilitation expenses and living expenses for when Aedan comes home. Aedan’s Mother Amanda and Sister Raine have both taken time off work to ensure they can remain by his side throughout his surgery and waking up from sedation and everyone is trying to prepare for the long haul. Aedan is an amazing kid who LOVED his dog with every fiber of his being, loves to skate board, take care of his little brother, spend time with his family, go to music festivals, spend time with his friends and complete impeccable work on jobs. Help Aedan Raycraft recover and find hope during this extremely tough part of his life. Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to read, listen and support Aedan.