Lani Mellor is just 57 and was previously physically active and held a job as a Sales Manager.
All that changed one fateful night when she was hit by an SUV while crossing the street in a crosswalk in the Northern California town of Chico on September 5, 2018.
Lani says it wasn’t a hit and run, but adds: “The driver, according to witnesses, never got out of her SUV, until the Paramedics left the scene with me.”
“I received head, brain, back, and hip injuries, suffering frequent migraine headaches, memory loss, and back pain. I now walk with a cane,” she reveals. “There is nothing they can do for my memory loss, dizziness, and comprehension. I struggle every day — I need a friend to drive me to the market and to my doctor’s appointments. I suffer from anxiety and PTSD. Sudden noises make me jump and terrify me.
“My neurologist has been addressing my brain and head injuries, migraines, dizziness, memory loss first, giving me steroid injections for my back and hip injuries.”
She says that she blacked out at the accident scene, and now has been living with the fear of being hit again.
And her injuries cost her job and her inability to do even the simplest of tasks.
“I cannot ride my bike, work out at the gym, go hiking, cook, travel… my life now does not look anything like the active, busy life I had before my accident,” she reveals. ”
“I can no longer work,” she says. “I need help to do basic tasks like laundry, grocery shopping, making meals. My children are grown, and all have their own lives to live. I am also divorced, so I am navigating this new reality with a small group of friends. I was very active before this accident…now everything has changed.”
She adds: “Now, I feel like I am 77.”
Lani’s only hope to have somewhat of normal existence, one not dominated by constant pain, is to have spinal surgery and she has started a gofundme fundraiser to raise money for the operation and also the expected 4 to 6 months recovery time.
“This has been a really difficult time — struggling with extreme pain and bouts of depression,” she relays. “This spinal surgery will relieve pain, create better mobility and balance by stabilizing my spine. I will also need therapy and medications to help with my PTSD.”
Please consider donating to her surgery by clicking HERE.
