Support Kraig Kuntz's Road to Recovery

Thank You For Being Here!

This Go Fund Me is a difficult one to pen as well as post. As many of you may know, Kraig would give the shirt off his back, but would have a difficult time accepting help with the roles reversed.

Backstory:

Kraig was found unconscious on the side of the road by a tourist on the island of San Pedro, Belize on Thursday (5/9). He was rushed to the island hospital where he received care and testing. We’d like to thank Kraig’s good friends for being there for him physically and financially, as well as keeping us informed until Justin could get there. Kraig’s friends are like family to him and we are forever grateful for the love that has been shown to him over the years, as well as during this difficult time.

To keep things brief, it was determined that he had a broken neck and needed more extensive care, so he was life flighted to Belize City. He underwent more of the same tests and it was determined that surgery in Belize City would be best (5/11). The risk of severing his spinal cord by moving him and putting him on a plane wasn’t a risk we thought we should take. This coupled with his poor breathing and quadriparesis, we (with Kraig) decided this was best. Justin was able to fly into Belize City a few hours before the surgery and was told Kraig would wake up the next day and be walking. This was not the case. He woke up with pneumonia on Sunday (5/12) and a hematoma on Monday (5/13. Breathing became much worse.

Kraig was taken by a medical jet to Fort Lauderdale late Tuesday night (5/14) and arrived early Wednesday morning (5/15). Tests were performed and Kraig’s oxygen levels tanked, making intubation the most logical decision. Kraig had surgery on his c4/c5 once again on Friday (5/17). The neurosurgeon in Fort Lauderdale said he had no idea what the previous surgeon had done and it definitely was NOT successful.

The surgery performed in Florida WAS successful (according to Kraig’s current neorosurgeon). At this time (5/20), Kraig is still fully sedated and intubated. He started having seizures on Saturday (5/18). He has been given medication to stop these seizures as well as more tests to determine the cause.

Kraig’s life:

Kraig has made the island of San Pedro his home for over 10 years now, only coming home to Montana for the summers. His love for the people and culture is beautiful to see. As his family, we love seeing the pride and gleam in his eye when he comes back and hands out shark tooth and shell necklaces, hand carved wooden works of art as well as hats, cups and shirts from the local businesses he frequents.

Kraig was a well known and loved eye doctor in Bozeman, Montana for over 30 years. He was an avid hunter and skier and took his kids along every step of the way. Kraig is also a veteran, spending time over seas in Korea. Kraig grew up in Helena and resided in Bozeman until retirement. He was a great member of the community and gave back in many ways over the decades he lived there.

He didn’t travel out of Montana much before Belize. He raised his family getting the most out of Montana; skiing, hunting and weekends at Canyon Ferry Lake in the summer. When he first went to Belize, we were all a little shocked. Once we visited, we could see exactly why he chose to make it his 2nd home.

Why You’re Here:

Before this, Kraig was on a fixed income; he lived frugally and simply. At this time, after his care, transport from San Pedro to Belize City as well as his medical jet to the U.S. and surgery in Belize, his funds have all but been depleted. While Kraig does have Medicare, this accident happened in a 3rd world country.

When Kraig recovers (because we KNOW he will), we’d like to try to recoup some of his retirement as well as help with care going forward. Not knowing what his future looks like, we really want to ensure financial freedom for him, similar to what he had previous to these horrible circumstances. We know that if ANYONE can make it through, Kraig Kuntz can!

Also, we are unsure of what Kraig’s rehabilitation looks like or how long it will be for. This fund would also help offset costs for family (lodging and travel) to best support Kraig in his rehabilitation journey. Kraig’s younger sister Kryss will be staying in Florida indefinitely while Justin and his wife Christy commute back and forth. Kryss herself is on a fixed income and we do not want this to take her down financially.

Our top priority is Kraig’s health and well-being, which goes beyond his stay in hospitals and rehab centers. We want him back where he wants to be and living the way he’s happiest. Thank you for caring about Kraig! We can’t wait to see that smile again.

If you are unable to donate, please know that your love, support, well wishes and prayers have been so incredibly felt and appreciated by us. Please keep them coming! Kraig has a lot of people rooting for him, which absolutely speaks to what kind of person he is.

Thank you for reading this and being here. Please share this link so we can spread this to as many friends of his as possible. ♥️