My name is Vicki. I teach at the middle school in Canton, NC. A couple of Saturdays ago, I was returning home from a wedding and had to detour near my house because of a car accident. When I checked social media, there were pictures of a silver car that had been hit... within an hour, my family started to realize that car belonged to our “Aunt Pennie.” She had been at the fair with my in-laws and left to pick up Bella, her granddaughter who lives with her, at Pisgah High after a band event had ended... We knew for sure it was her when my in-laws couldn’t reach her, so they rushed to the high school hoping to find that Bella had been picked up. Unfortunately, she was still waiting for Pennie to arrive. We knew it was her in the car accident. Witnesses to the wreck said it was so loud they thought something exploded. We’re lucky she’s alive. Since the wreck, we’ve learned she has around 20 broken bones, including her pelvic bone, both arms, her knee, many ribs, and an elbow. She had to be resuscitated once. They tried to do surgery once, and she wasn’t stable enough. A few days later, they were able to fix some of the broken bones. She has been weaned off some medicines she needed at admission to stabilize her — that’s good news. She’s also able to communicate by writing on a board. Amazing news. She is still in the ICU. The doctor said it will be at least a year of recovery in a rehabilitation facility when she makes it through this part of it all... and in that time, Bella will be staying with my in-laws, because a few months ago Pennie’s husband passed away after a fight with cancer. Leaving Pennie the sole provider for Bella, their little dog, and their cat. Bella and the dog, Annie, have moved in with my in-laws. The cat is being fostered long term by a sweet girl. Sandra and James (my in-laws) are so thankful at how quickly people got Bella a bed and necessities for those first few overnights so she didn’t have to sleep on a couch. People in our community are reaching out to support her, and many have asked about how to help. Meals have been so helpful with three teens in a house where the adults have to be at the hospital most days. They will be setting up a cooler on their front porch if you know them and want to coordinate dropping off a frozen something-easy-to-cook!
Most of the kids in the house are big fans of chicken and pasta !! They have a huge freezer, so frozen foods are best or non-perishable snacks. They do like fast food and pizza, also!