Support Pam and Samantha's Medical Journey

Over the holidays this past year, my dear family friends--Pam, and her daughter, Samantha Loper--were thrust into a medical emergency that spanned over the course of a month. This family is very familiar with medical emergencies. In the spring of 2007, when Samantha was 16 years old, she was in a debilitating car accident, which resulted in Samantha becoming a quadriplegic. This young lady has faced her challenges--physical, mental and everything in-between--with strength, grace and raw determination. She learned how to direct her own care, placing her independence as a main priority. This grit allowed her not only to finish high school, with honors, but to then go on to graduate with a Psychology Degree from Southern Oregon University. She lives and works independently, with a solid caregiving team. Her family has been a huge part of her team and support system. Around Thanksgiving this past year, Samantha suffered a form of psychosis, which landed her in the hospital through the holidays. Due to the unique medical vulnerability with her paralysis, she needed to remain in the hospital for weeks. Her mother, Pam, stayed with her and needed to take a month off work to attend to her daughter's needs.

This crowd-funding campaign is simple--we're helping Pam recover funds from a month of lost wages. Like many of us, Pam relies on her full-time job at Home Depot in the Rogue Valley to keep the roof overhead and the lights on. Also like many of us, a month of lost wages, without a back-up plan, means disaster. With no savings and the need to continue to support her daughter's needs while she recovers from the recent time in the hospital, we're humbly asking for some group support from friends and family. Anything helps and is very much appreciated!

Pam would like to highlight her appreciation for the mental health awareness that allowed Samantha to reach out for help. Samantha works in the field of mental health, and has helped many others through hard times. Thanks to our local mental health support services, Samantha was able to get the help she needed, and the Loper family would like to encourage anyone else dealing with a mental health issue to know there is help out there, 24/7, and it works! As Pam would like to remind us all--this can happen to anyone--so reach out before it becomes a crisis! For Oregonians, please see: https://www.oregon.gov/ode/students-and-family/healthsafety/pages/mental-health.aspx

And on a national level, including substance abuse issues, please see: https://www.samhsa.gov/

Luckily, Samantha has a loving family, and Pam was able to step in and take the time off to help her daughter through this recent challenge. If you can, please give the Loper family a hand-up to help pay the bills. Thank you so much.