Reyna Reyes Road to Recovery

I am Ellie Vilhauer, a close family friend to the Reyes family. This fundraiser has been established to help ease the costs that will occur. This will assist the family to focus their efforts on Reyna’s treatment, healing and spending precious time together.


Reyna was involved in a boating accident on June 4th, 2020. The injuries were severe. She was airlifted to a Sioux Falls hospital soon after. She suffered from a femur fracture, deep tissue laceration in the neck which needed a vascular team to operate on, damage to a main vessel to the brain, some brain contusions, 3 different fractures along the vertebrae, muscle bruising/weakness on the left arm and loss of consciousness/severe concussion. Reyna went into immediate surgery to repair her leg and neck. Surgery went well and as planned. Reyna is weight baring as tolerated and is utilizing a walker for mobility. She will have continuous therapies to get stronger. 


During the neck surgery, there was a lymph node that was very visible and was barely intact. They removed it to investigate it more.
Once she was out of surgery, they informed Saul and Ashlee on what they did for repairs. A permanent rod and pins were placed in the femur. The neck was cleaned and repaired and stitched up and there was a removal of a lymph node. The doctor also explained they saw other visible abnormal looking lymph nodes on the left side of the neck region, same side as the laceration. Other scans that were done to see the extent of Reyna's injuries also showed abnormal "spots" under the clavicle (collarbone) and spots in both lungs. The family got the results back from pathology on Monday, June 8th, 2020. Reyna had been diagnosed with Papillary Thyroid Cancer. It had metastasized to her neck, collarbone and lungs. This form is very slow growing and is treatable. There is a high cure rate % if treated appropriately. Reyna and the family have not met with the team that will be taking charge of the treatment of her thyroid and other nodules. There is no exact treatment finalized. Reyna's team of doctors are all in unison and agree that healing from the boating accident is #1 priority. Reyna's body endured a lot and will need lots of rest. 


The family has already been through some difficult times with the accident and the new diagnosis is another hurdle they need to overcome. Reyna's team of doctors is primarily focused on healing from the accident, as waiting a month or two to combat the cancer will be OK and not change much.
Reyna was a very active teenager, sweet, caring and loved the company of her friends and family. Reyna will have more surgeries and rehabilitation to come. She has a long road in front of her as well as the family.


Please consider contributing to help Saul and Ashlee with care and costs that arise from recent events and the opportunities to be with their daughter during this difficult time. Please keep the Reyes family in your prayers!