Please read all the way through.
This is my good friend Holly’s daughter, Carissa.  On June 16th, 2011 this beautiful 16-year old was one of the two critically injured.  See news link below for details.  I’m reaching out to everyone to PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE help.  Below are some posts from her mother Holly who is struggling.  I know it’s a long read but well worth it.  Once you’ve read it, you will understand in the plea for help.  Please share this whether it be on your blog, your Facebook, your twitter a mass email….whatever it be…Make a plea for help.  


If there is any WORTHY chain to be made, this would be it.

KTLA: Suspected Drunk Driver Plows into Bicyclists - Dave Mecham reports -- ktla.com
www.ktla.com
Los Angeles and Southern California News from KTLA 5 the CW. The home of the KTLA Morning News with Michaela Pereira, plus Photo Galleries, video and the blogs of Eric Spillman, Frank Buckley and Sam Rubin are all right here.
Holly Bodner THURSDAY AUGUST 9^TH.  UPDATE: It’s been a very, long, hard, emotional week for me. I have definitely entered the ANGER stage of this whole process, along with the EXTREMELY FRUSTRATED stage! I’ve never felt so backed into a corner with no way out as I do now.

The GOOD news is Medi-cal accepted Carissa after her paperwork was pending almost 8 weeks. NOW she CAN BE eligible for surgery to remove the wires in her jaw that are causing her a great deal of pain. The BAD news is, in order for Medi-cal to kick in & pay Carissa’s ENTIRE medical bills from June 16th thru now & future rehabilitation, I have to come up with $1038.00 a month to pay our portion of our “shared-cost!” YA, RIGHT!!! A single mother with two kids & NO job, at home FULL time caring for completely dependent, disabled child, unable to work even if I wanted to, and I have to come up with over a thousand dollars each month to pay for that? UNBELIEVABLE!!! If I pay for the last three months, June, July & August, Medi-cal WILL pay the $342,961.69 bill, plus ALL the other bills, which are quickly building toward the ONE MILLION DOLLAR mark!!! That amount is not including future rehabilitation, surgeries, dental, eye care and/or any neuro treatments Carissa WILL require. I am COMPLETELY OVERWHELMED!!!
I am NOT one to complain. Really, I’m not. However, dealing with the medical, financial, paperwork, insurance (or lack thereof) & bills, on top of almost losing your child is HELL!!! They can put the wires on, but they can’t take them off??? Come up with $9,000. IF you want them off or wait until the government approves your paperwork & allow the child to suffer longer than she has to??? TELL ME HOW ANY OF THIS MAKES ANY SENSE???

Tell me WHY Ms. Drunk & Irresponsible, who caused ALL of this, STILL walks FREE!!! OH, YA…I’m angrier than last week! You bet I am!!! She continues to wreak havoc on my family’s personal life while she roams free. I can’t even give my child ALL the attention she deserves because I am busy on the phone & filling out paperwork all day long just to make sure I can keep a roof over her head while trying to eliminate DEBT caused by a DRUNK DRIVER!!! It’s total CRAP!!!

Now, on to the most important part of my post…my sweet girl. Carissa manages to amaze me every day of her life. There isn’t a day that goes by that she isn’t smiling, even when she is in pain. She wants so badly to walk, to get out of her wheelchair, to ride her bike, to play on the beach…her desire to do so will take her far! She had an irritable start to her morning, which was mostly due to her mouth/jaw pain. Heck, I’d be irritable, too if wires were cutting into my gums & cheeks as well as being strung through my jaw bone!!! Yet she never complains. She does tell me it hurts & she can’t wait to get them out, but she never, NEVER complains. That child is SO GRATEFUL to be ALIVE that NOTHING will stop her from smiling!!!

Today we watched the movie, “Soul Surfer.” Carissa compared the story, or parts of it, to much of what her ordeal has been like for us. Of course there were many similarities, the girls doing what they LOVE (surfing/bike riding), the mom gets THE CALL, she drives to her daughter, the ambulance that her daughter is in races up behind & around her, (I don’t think I will ever be able to see or hear another ambulance again without feeling a deep fear in my heart & burning in the pit of my stomach. The sound still makes my eyes water.), the mama seeing her daughter being pulled out of the ambulance, the EMT’s racing the child into the hospital…it was ALL just too much!!! Of course I sobbed the entire movie, I’m a sap anyway…but there were just way too many similarities for me. In the movie, at the scene of the shark attack, there is a guy who has the keys to the truck & is running to get his phone to call the victim’s mother...I could so relate to him in every way. His acting was incredible because how he was shaking & trembling was how it REALLY was that night, for me…

In the movie, which is based on a true story, the victim presses on, has a positive attitude, feeds homeless people & learns a GREAT deal about life, love & true happiness through her ordeal. Even though my daughter is not a cycling competitor, the movie hit home in SO many ways for both of us. I recommend it to anyone who is looking for inspirational, uplifting entertainment!

So, my lil’ beans n’ cheese girl has gone to bed for the night. I just checked in on her and she is sleeping sweetly. I LOVE knowing she is in the next room, or just down the hall…never far from me. I LOVE knowing I can go & peek in on her or quietly move toward her… close enough to hear her soft, rhythmic breathing that tells me she is sleeping peacefully.

Lord, every day I am SO GRATEFUL for my children, my family & my friends. I KNOW you will see us through these dark & trying times, and you will walk with us on our journey, wherever it may lead. I ask that you strengthen me in faith & continue to humble me with these words, “ ‘Vengeance is mine,’ saith the Lord…” I’m not very good at remembering that right now!!

Holly Bodner August 4
UPDATE: Dear Reckless & Drunk Driver, Christine Dahab: Seven weeks ago today, on June 16th, 2011, the choice you made to get behind the wheel of your car almost cost my daughter her life.  Do you have ANY idea what it is like to be a mother & literally BEG God to spare your child's life? To receive the kind of call I received at almost 2am? To have to drive in the condition I was in just to get to my daughter? Do you know what it is like to have the ambulance that has your “unresponsive” & “not breathing on her own” child fly by you with sirens blaring as you are waiting at the same light they just flew thru? How bout’ seeing your child come out of the ambulance with all her clothing cut off, body freezing cold, eyes closed, with breathing tubes in her throat just to keep her alive??? Have you ANY idea what it is like to watch your lil' girl suffer the way mine has because of YOUR actions? The little girl I waited ALL my life for, the precious child I carried for nine months, and raised for 16 years...YES, that little girl...her life was almost taken from me because of YOUR selfish choices!!!
Not only did you do insurmountable damage to my daughter's head, brain, eye, mouth, & complete body, you also subjected her to WAYYY more radiation than any person should EVER be subjected to. Do you have ANY idea what radiation does to the reproductive organs of a teenage girl??? Do you have ANY idea the amount of radiation my daughter was forced receive just to save her life??? Do you have ANY idea how damaging radiation is & how it affects DNA & future unborn children??? Nooooo...you didn't think about those things when you decided to get in the driver's seat that night, did you???
Recently I have spoken to other innocent cyclists whose lives were also hanging in the balance because of YOUR choices. Other victims who are also left with brain damage, broken bodies, years of rehabilitation ahead of them, other traumas that haunt them & most likely will for the remainder of their lives. Every one of the 11 members you sent to the hospital in the wee hours of that morning has to live with the decisions YOU made when you CHOSE to drink & drive.

Do you realize the pain & suffering you have caused MANY families? Mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, friends...YOUR careless actions have wreaked much havoc on MANY lives! ELEVEN people you sent to hospitals! ELEVEN people you injured badly! ELEVEN people, three of which hung on for dear life! YOU DID THIS!!! You drank, you drove, you sped, you looked down at your phone, you accelerated, you slammed into a group of over 70 people, and while ELEVEN of those people were in some of America’s most prestigious hospitals literally fighting for their lives, you posted $15,000 bail & walked out FREE!!! SICKENING!!!

YES! I AM ANGRY!!! My lil’ girl sits in her bed or her wheelchair longing to walk again, while you walk free…FOR NOW!!! My lil’ girl can’t see well out of her right eye, slurs her words, forgets what she is saying, stumbles over her sentences, has trouble counting, is delayed in her thinking & speech, is in pain with broken bones, has metal plates & screws throughout her body, has a shaved head, & has scar after scar after scar on her body…because of YOUR CHOICES!!! 
I PROMISE you with everything I have in me that I will fight just as hard for justice for my daughter as she fought for her life!!!

Holly Bodner
UPDATE: OMG! FML! $342,961.69!!! YES! Those are the very first thoughts that entered my mind upon seeing the bold print on the bill!!! THREE HUNDRED FORTY~TWO THOUSAND, NINE HUNDRED SIXTY~ONE DOLLARS...and lets NOT forget the SIXTY~NINE CENTS!!! Our very first UCLA bill! And that is for her BED in the PICU ONLY!!! B.E.D. O.N.L.Y.!!!
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This bill is NOT including: The ER, ambulance, MRI's, CT's, Brain Scans, Brain Ultrasounds, x-rays, EEG's, EKG's, anesthesiologists, surgeons, surgery, equipment, sutures, casts, wires, machines, tubes, IV’s, medications, food, wheelchair, walker, potty chair, shower bench…nor does this include the two surgeries we KNOW she has to have, her time in the acute neuro-rehabilitation unit & all her therapies in that rehab or the months of therapy still needed after her bones heal. Brain reevaluations, neuro-psychiatric care, mental, emotional & physical therapies, dental, optometry, inpatient care, outpatient care…the list is endless. I have received MANY bills from doctors, surgeons, specialists, anesthesiologists, therapists on top of & in addition to the UCLA bill…it just goes on & on & on.

I am FULLY aware that Carissa’s medical bills will only continue to increase as time goes on. I have collected everything that has come thus far & set it all in its own special basket labeled, “MY LIL’ MIRACLE!!!” Cuz really, she is just that. I could let the medical bills overwhelm me because my mindset is that the people who worked very HARD to save my daughter’s life deserve to be paid. I take that very seriously however, for now I can only deal with what I have set before me.

The police report is STILL not in due to the severity of the accident, so I don’t even know if the driver had insurance yet. Do I stress out? Sure. Do I lose sleep at night? Yes. Do I toss & turn in my sleep? Mmmm Hmmm. Can I hold food down now? Not really.

I KNOW God is guiding every step of the way for us, in that I take refuge. I KNOW Carissa is alive for a reason, in that I have faith. I KNOW God can calm my fears if I allow him, in that I find hope. Every day is difficult, every day here something new, every day we have struggles, but we are trudging thru the rain & the puddles & I KNOW in the end there is going to be the most beautiful, brilliant rainbow imaginable!!! In that I find PURE JOY!!!

Holly Bodner AUGUST 9TH
Unless you REALLY wanna hear how I am doing, today is NOT a good day to ask!!!
Let me just say I completely understand WHY people go POSTAL!!! I AM LIVID!!! OUR GOVERNMENT SUCKS!!! My daughter's wires SHOULD have come out JULY 11th. Today is August 9th...I still have to fax MORE papers for MORE approval before they will set her up for her surgery. SHE IS IN PAIN!!! She has been in UNNECESSARY pain for almost a month!!! WHY must she endure this pain on top of EVERYTHING else???!!! WHY do ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS receive BETTER health care than my AMERICAN BORN CHILD??? I am OUTRAGED!!!
Holly Bodner Thursday August 11^th EIGHT WEEKS INTO THIS JOURNEY...and still there is a part of me that is so calm, KNOWING in the long run that we are going to be okay. Knowing God has a plan for us. Knowing He will lead the way. Then there is another part of me, the part that is LIVING this NIGHTMARE that is so scared of the unknown. My emotions are raw. I am not going to try to hide behind them and pretend every day that I am okay, cuz tonight, I’m not!

My daughter is slowly making positive progress. For that I am eternally grateful. I love seeing her smile, hearing her laugh, listening to her remembering things, watching her eyes light up when she expresses herself, giggling at herself when she slurs or stumbles over her own words…it’s all so beautiful.

And then there is the dark side...the endless paperwork, the phone calls, the faxes, the running around, the future appointments, surgeries, insurance, rehabilitation, post-op appointments, follow up appointments, short term & long term decisions, lawyers…all this is on top of my mediation appointment next week for my very ugly, pending divorce. My kid’s dad walked out in February, after 24 years together and 21 years of marriage. He decided he didn’t want a family anymore. Marriage isn’t what he thought it was, and he didn’t want the kids. He wanted a house of his own & we were a financial burden to him. Having a family was a financial burden. He could have so much more if he didn’t have us. Yes, I heard it on a regular basis. He made it abundantly clear all throughout last year that he did NOT want to pay child support or spousal support, and felt the government should take care of him because by the time he paid us, it would be comparable to what he would receive on SSI anyway, so he quit his job & moved in with his parents. He also willingly gave up all rights to his daughter. She is 100% MINE legally & physically…and I am SOOO happy to have her!!! At the time of our court hearing, the judge ordered him to cover Carissa medically under his SSI…he NEVER did.

In the ER they gave me packets of papers to fill out for CCS and Medi-Cal. Through tears I filled them out as best I could. I am still STRUGGLING to pull together all the paperwork, most of it paperwork HE was asked to complete and never did. Form after form, it’s truly endless. They need this, then want that…why didn’t they just tell me from the beginning to bring my entire file cabinet!?! Apparently, Carissa’s dad received paperwork in the hospital that he told me he filled out, yet didn’t. When push came to shove, he filled out his name & address but refused to do the rest because he “didn’t feel like it!” When the accident happened, he DID come, with his mom. He DID stay, for almost two weeks. Although he has NO job & does NOT go to school, and after they told us in the PICU that Carissa NEEDS someone to be with her 24/7, around the clock…he announced he was going home. Apparently he has “THINGS TO TAKE CARE OF,” things that are far more important than his child! While my daughter lay in the PICU still fighting for her life, he walked out on her, again. As if the first time wasn’t enough. Six weeks later & not ONE call or text to see how Carissa is doing…NOT ONE!!!

These wires in her mouth??? They WOULD be OUT by now IF he did what the judge ordered back in March. HOW CAN I NOT BE ENRAGED??? I heard my child tell her friends, “He just gave me away, he didn’t even fight for me, he didn’t even want me…” That nearly killed me. Then came the day she climbed up on my lap like a small child and put her head down on my chest and cried harder than I’d EVER seen her cry before. Pure, soulful sobs.

He had the nerve to text me a few days ago telling me he wants to see HIS kids. On top of everything else going on, I have to deal with THIS??? REALLY??? THEY don’t want to see him. THEY want NOTHING to do with him. It is their choice & I respect their wishes. I have never felt such animosity toward a person in my entire life! I hear people say, “be strong” or “let your anger toward him go,” that is so much easier said than done. I am reminded DAILY of the pain he has caused my children every time I look at them, especially Carissa in her current condition. Every time I see my daughter in pain and my anger grows toward him. Even though it wouldn’t change the events of the drunk driver who hit her 8 weeks ago this morning, it WOULD have made things easier for Carissa! Her wires WOULD be off. She WOULD have gotten more rehab treatment…treatment she couldn’t get for her occupational, recreational, speech & neurological BECAUSE Medi-Cal was PENDING!!! Yes, they sent her HOME because HE didn’t provide her insurance. They could not do PHSYCIAL THERAPY for her because of her broken body, but they COULD have sent the rest of the therapists to the house for IN-HOME therapy.

The only thing I can share with you is I have seen the face of true EVIL and it is not pretty. I have never been SO humbled in all my life. Carissa and I get SO much JOY out of feeding the homeless. I have never felt SO close to being in that same position as I do now. IN THE END things will be alright, for I have a God who takes care of me, but going thru it, it’s NOT easy. I have a VERY bad back due to an injury a patient caused during the first part of my internship & a tumor on my leg that is growing. HE KNEW this when he quit his job. I pleaded with him to wait until I was through with my internship so I can provide insurance for myself, but he chose to quit his job anyway…said he didn’t care if we ate out of the gutter. Guess that is easy to say when you get to run home to mommy & daddy and have them feed and clothe you.

I PROMISE you, Carissa that I will see you through this! I WILL be your mama AND your daddy. I WILL put aside my pride & seek help wherever I can to be here with you & for you. NO MATTER WHAT IT TAKES, SWEET GIRL!!! YOU ARE MINE!!! 100% MINE!!! I CAN NEVER THANK GOD ENOUGH FOR SPARING YOUR LIFE!!! BEING YOUR MAMA IS WHAT KEEPS ME GOING!!!
OKAY GUYS, here is the REAL COLD HARD TRUTH! Holly needs to come up with $3,000 by Monday noon. She booked Carissa's surgery for Tues and that is the amount from June thru Aug for her Medi-cal. If she doesn't pay, Carissa's mouth will remain wired shut (Crazy they can do this!) and Medi-Cal will NOT kick in. There have been SO many offers asking how to help, NOW is the time!!! PLEASE~PLEASE!!! Together we can do this!!!
I know a lot of us are struggling financially but all I ask is a mere $25.  Think about it, if I can get 10 people to put in a minimum of $25 Carissa would be $250 closer to getting her wires out and future care that she needs.  If you can donate more, please do.  Something is better than nothing.  I plea that all that receive this ask of your friends to do the same.  GOD BLESS ALL OF YOU
DONATIONS MADE TO ANY CHASE BANK ACCT#916360472 ARE DESPERATELY NEEDED! Holly needs to come up with $3,000 by Monday noon. She booked Carissa's surgery for Tues and that is the amount from June thru Aug for her Medi-cal. If she doesn't pay, Carissa's mouth will remain wired shut (Crazy they can do this!) and Medi-Cal will NOT kick in. There have been SO many offers asking how to help, NOW is the time!!! PLEASE~PLEASE! Lets make this happen!

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Alright $15,000 bail is all? WTH? What is wrong with this picture?
http://bikinginla.wordpress.com/2011/06/16/accused-drunkdistracted-driver-plows-into-group-of-cyclists-11-injured-with-two-critical/