Rebecca Martin

Last summer, 11 year old Rebecca Martin of Gardnerville was visiting her grandmother in Southern California.  On August 13th, they were walking home from the grocery store when a car hit Rebecca while she was in a crosswalk.  The driver had been distracted.  There were no brake marks until after the impact.  The estimated speed of the car was just over 30 miles per hour.  Rebecca was thrown up to 15 – 20 feet into the air, landed on the hood of the car, and flew about 40 feet before falling onto the street.  She was rushed to USC Medical Center and was in serious, but stable condition.  She had a fractured pelvis, bruised lungs and of most concern, a serious head injury.  The doctors had to keep her in an induced coma for over a week until her brain stopped swelling.  Overall, she was in a coma for about three weeks before regaining consciousness.

Rebecca has endured seizures, a staph infection, a collapsed lung, pneumonia, intestinal infections, a tracheotomy, and countless surgeries and procedures.

During the third week of September, Rebecca began showing signs of recovery, such as smiling and responding to simple commands.  On September 23rd, she was transferred to Rancho Los Amigos Rehabilitation Center where she began extensive Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy and Speech Therapy.  Rebecca showed great progress at Rancho Los Amigos and was discharged on October 28th.  She is now going to outpatient therapy a couple times a week.  She is still going to the hospital for throat surgery every few weeks in order to keep her trachea as open as possible and to reduce the formation of scar tissue.  She continues to have a trach tube in her throat and it will probably be removed at the end of flu season.

Rebecca continues to struggle with short term memory and concentration.  She is working on strength and balance.  She is still unable to run and skip.  She gets short winded because her airway is restricted and her loss of lung capacity.  The hope is that the entire family will return to Gardnerville soon.

Rebecca should have started 6th grade at CC Meneley Elementary School this year.  She had been a straight A student.  She will have a tutor for the next few months and hopefully return to school in March.  She is a singer and an actress who recently performed in “Godspell” with the Theater of Arts Discipline (TOAD) and has appeared in other plays, including “Snow White,” “Annie,” and “Beauty and the Beast” with the Brewery Arts Center (BAC) Stage Kids and the Wildhorse Theater.

There have been many fundraisers for the Martin family in Southern California and in the Carson Valley.  We would also like to use our light show as a fundraiser to help them in their time of need.  Rebecca’s father Shane recently gave us an update.  He said, “The hospital bills for Rebecca in plan year 2009 are about $650,000.  We have to pay in-network and out-of-network maximums plus deductibles, co-pays, medical expenses for services and supplies not covered by the plan, and expenses that are in excess of usual and customary charges determined by the plan.  Rebecca still needs to go to outpatient therapy and may need more surgery in plan year 2010.  My wife, Sabrina, lost her job to care for Rebecca and hasn't been working for the last three months so we haven't had her monthly income, and I am not sure when she can go back to work.”

We ask that you please consider donating to support this special family.  You can donate cash or checks to our locked collection box.  Please make checks payable to the “Rebecca Martin Account”.  Or you can donate directly at Nevada State Bank in Carson City, Account No. 0598016426 in the Name of Sabrina or Rebecca Martin.

Thank you for your generous support!

Read the latest updates on Becca, here: http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/rebeccamartinupdate