Lauren Shevchek

LAUREN’S STORY

Lauren was injured 3 weeks after her 19th birthday in an ironic diving accident. Having been a competitive swimmer since age six, she instinctively performed a racing type of dive; straight out & streamlined.
She dove into a black bottom pool without lights, adding difficulty to judge the pool’s perimiter.
Unfortunately, Lauren struck what we believe was the opposite side of the pool and fractured not one, but three cervical vertebrae. The middle one exploded into a burst fracture and further damaged her spinal column.

She was given one of the worst diagnosis of “Asia A Complete” and as a C-5/6 Quadriplegic was paralyzed from her chest down. This was the most severe classification, and we were absolutely in shock and disbelief at her loss of function and her subsequent need for lifetime care.

The good news is that God saved her life, her brain, and her breathing. Without a tracheostomy, Lauren could look forward to a slightly better quality of life – at least her breathing was not fully compromised.

Our social worker told me that I had to become the master at fundraising, because insurance would not provide all that Lauren would need. This is the most misconstrued fact that the general public believes about catastrophic injuries; that insurance covers all that you need. Contrary to popular belief, insurance covers the bare bones minimum and coverages fluctuate with each passing year. The need for fundraising is indeed the best advice I was given.

As a teenager with quadriplegia, at the C5-6 level, Lauren’s lifetime estimated injury costs topple $4 million. Insurance covers only a fraction of injury related expenses. Therefore, the necessity to fundraise to offset her uninsured medical expenses is imperative.

We are grateful for the affiliation with Help Hope Live’s Mid-Atlantic Catastrophic Injury Fund, through which we fundraise. Their non-profit status allows for tax deductible donations and their exemplary reputation lends peace of mind to both our family and our donors.

Lauren has been referred to as an inspiring young woman. Optimistic, uplifting and ever hopeful to live her best life possible. She continues to make the world a better place despite facing a continuum of challenges. Lauren has taken a stand and spoken publicly about her injury in hopes of educating others and minimizing these preventable diving accidents. She coined a phrase, “If you can’t see through it, don’t dive in to it!” as she was injured in a black bottom pool. She teaches this phrase to kids to raise awareness of hidden dangers camouflaged by dark water. She created a YouTube video to deliver this message more globally.

**Please watch & share Lauren’s YouTube video on Dive Safety here on her campaign page or @ https://youtube.com/embed/npt4jTILYQ4. Geared for elementary level students, as diving accidents occur as young as 9 years old! Please share it with those you love to help raise awareness of this preventable accident.

We appreciate your consideration of support. It is a true blessing in her world of lifetime struggle with paralysis.

God Bless,
Janice Shevchek