The shooting on Oct. 1 left 59 people dead, including the shooter Stephen Paddock, and more than 500 people injured.
Since the shooting, more than 40 campaigns were created on GoFundMe to help victims and their families with various medical and funeral expenses.
Many of the victims are dealing with grave injuries.
"Tina is out of surgery and her vitals are stable. They removed her right eye, where the bullet was lodged, and there is an implant there now to keep the space open,” one profile said. “She has sight in her left eye but will never see from the right again. They took out a bone from her forehead to allow the brain room to swell, that will stay out for a few months. She's in a coma and on a ventilator, she cannot breathe on her own. She's critically stable in ICU for at least a week. Over the next few days, they're going to see how she responds to simulation, but until then, we won't know how bad the brain damage is.”
“Rylie Golgart is an 18 year-old college Freshman attending Nevada State College,” another page read. “Unfortunately, she was shot in the lower back and has already undergone emergency surgery to address any possible internal bleeding. The bullet has fragmented in the L4 vertebrae.”
Another victim, Kurt Fowler, told CNN he was celebrating his 18th wedding anniversary with his wife, Trina, at the music festival where the shooting occurred.
He said he’d been shot in the ankle, which left his foot “completely useless,” leaving him unable to run away from the gunfire.
He’s already had surgery and spent two weeks in the hospital, but more work and therapy may be necessary, CNN reported. Fowler also said he wasn’t sure how much his healthcare plan will cover him out of state.
"Medical expenses are astronomical these days," Fowler told CNN. "It's a mountain that just doesn't seem like it's gonna be climbable, but we are gonna do our best."
According to the Huffington Post, 62 percent of U.S. bankruptcies were related to medical bills before the Affordable Care Act. Even with the increased coverage provided by the law, U.S. citizens are still having a tough time affording their bills.
University of Minnesota researcher Gordon Burtch told The Huffington Post that $1,000 raised in a crowdfund would go a long way to avoid bankruptcy, on average.
Many of the funding pages seem to have achieved or exceeded their goals; however, there are still some victims needing help.
The largest verified fund on GoFundMe, started by Steve Sisolak, Clark County Commission Chair from Las Vegas, has raised $11,302,098 of $15.0M goal to help various victims of the shooting.
Other verified profiles can be found here.
No comments:
Post a Comment