Living expenses after a terrible accident

Gabriella Cassidy is organizing this fundraiser on behalf of Ronald Cassidy.

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My Dad was in a terrible car accident on Wednesday December 21st, just before Christmas. We are so thankful he is alive, but he suffered a major spinal chord injury that has left him paralyzed from the neck down for the foreseeable future. He may recover but we don’t know to what extent or how long it will take. My dad can’t walk, work, or do basic tasks like bathe himself.

In his morning commute to work, the car slipped on icy roads unsalted by the town of Irondequoit. Three cars slipped on the ice and crashed behind (but thankfully not into) my dad. When the police arrived to the scene of the crashes they had to call the town to come salt the roads to prevent any more accidents during the rush hour commute.

I have two young siblings, Scarlett and Wyatt, age 5, and 7 and they have not been allowed to see their dad in the hospital since the accident happened. My dad won’t be discharged from the hospital until the doctors know he can go home to a wheel chair accessible home.

My dad lives in a charming but small two story house in Rochester. The property has no bathroom or bedroom on the first floor. He won’t be discharged to go home to the property as it currently exists.

My Dad works as a drug and alcohol councilor, something he dreamed of being all his life after facing and recovering from him own drug and alcohol addictions. My Dad went back to school after Scarlett and Wyatt were born, got his credentials, and has been a counselor with Catholic Family Services ever since. While he cannot physically work for the foreseeable future, his employers have visited him in the hospital and told him his job is waiting for him whenever he is ready to come back.

My stepmom Carine is a wonderful stay at home mom who loves and cares for the kids expertly.

Since the accident, Carine has been left home with the kids without a way to transport herself around town. She has been relying on babysitting services from my sister and friends and rides to and from the hospital from my grandparents or Uber rides from her brother.

Since the accident the family has been left without:

An accessible home for my dads future wheelchair
Any family income for bills, expenses and to help get approved for a mortgage to move into an accessible, safe home for my dad in a safe neighborhood with good schools for the kids
A reliable vehicle to get groceries, go back and forth to the hospital, or take the kids to appointments
Vehicle insurance that will replace the totaled truck in the accident
Any certainty from doctors on when or to what extent my dad will physically improve.

The extent of other services, home modifications and support my dad may need are not fully known yet since he is still early in his journey of understanding what mobility he may regain, if any.

My Dads circumstances make rebuilding a safe and accessible home for himself and an abundant happy life for the kids difficult. Any support you can provide to help would be greatly appreciated.