Emily Progin, Content Manager
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$2,700+ RAISED TO HELP MOM HIT BY CAR WITH BRAIN INJURY
Eleanor Shell Sustained Injury Pushing Child Out of Harm’s Way
CHARLOTTE, N.C.—On June 12, 2024, life forever changed for supermom Eleanor Shell and her family. While walking through a parking lot, Eleanor pushed her child’s stroller out of harm’s way and was immediately struck by a car and thrown two car lengths, leaving her with a life-altering traumatic brain injury and a corresponding financial burden to secure medical care.
Eleanor has had to pause all medical treatments due to the out-of-pocket cost. To help, Eleanor’s loving community is fundraising through the trusted national nonprofit Help Hope Live. They’ve raised over $2,700 in her honor less than 4 months.
Tax-deductible donations can be made at: https://helphopelive.org/campaign/26229/
Ordained minister, wife, and mom of 3 Eleanor Shell was highly involved with the community and her family prior to her injury. She worked with faith communities and nonprofits to plan local events, volunteered constantly, cooked for special occasions, and served as supermom to her 3 children ages 2 to 8.
Eleanor has served Sugaw Creek Presbyterian Church, Plaza Presbyterian Church, Rocky Road Presbyterian Church, and Poplar Tent Presbyterian Church, where she preached briefly when they were between pastors. Husband Blake and sons Charley and Jake are proud members of Cub Scouts Troop 33 at Sardis Presbyterian.
All that changed in 2024. Eleanor was a pedestrian walking through a parking lot with her child when a speeding car put them both in dire danger. Eleanor blocked the car from striking her child’s stroller with her own body. She was thrown 2 car lengths.
Eleanor now lives with debilitating symptoms related to the resulting brain injury, including cognitive fatigue, sensory overload, dizziness, and other challenges.
Eleanor is motivated and willing to work towards recovery and better health. She pursues physical and occupational therapy as well as emotional therapy every week to remain the mom, wife, and community member that her loved one rely on.
To pursue that recovery, she also has to invest in household help—as her medical team has told her, her brain cannot recover without a break from the responsibilities of household caregiving.
“The direct cost of living with this brain injury is $4,700 to $4,900 per month,” Eleanor explained. “Recovery is now my full-time job.” Her medical team has recommended additional specialized treatments, but insurance won’t cover them.
With Eleanor now unable to work even part-time, the financial burden is persistent and significant. That’s why her loved ones turned to the national nonprofit Help Hope Live to start a fundraising campaign.
The community has rallied to raise $2,700 in less than 4 months of fundraising in Eleanor’s honor.
“I have had to pause all treatments due to finances,” Eleanor explained. “Many providers are not willing to see me without payment upfront. Every contribution creates breathing room. Breathing room means I can begin to heal.”
To Eleanor, the campaign represents more than just financial help. It represents a way for her to accept and embrace the changes in her life as she works to find a “new normal” after this life-changing event.
This year, Eleanor took the stage at This Is My Brave CharMeck in Charlotte, sharing her story with vulnerability to help serve as an inspiration and resource for others impacted by a life-changing event.
She is launching a brand she has named Resilient Magnolia, inspired by her experiences, which includes documenting her feelings to encourage others while avoiding the “get well soon” balloon-and-rainbow positivity that sometimes makes individuals feel unseen in their challenges following a life-changing event.
She is also openly sharing her family’s experiences with medical debt at https://beyondgofundme.substack.com/
Eleanor knows that despite the changes in her life, she is more than one devastating day: “Thank you for seeing me not only as someone who was injured, but as someone still becoming.”
Unlike a GoFundMe campaign, donations to Help Hope Live are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law, and all funds raised will be administered by the nonprofit to cover verified medical and related expenses. Help Hope Live verifies medical and financial need for every patient.
Help Hope Live is a national nonprofit that specializes in engaging communities in secure, tax-deductible fundraising campaigns for people who need a transplant or are affected by a catastrophic injury or illness. Since 1983, campaigns organized by Help Hope Live have raised over $194 million to pay patient expenses, assisting more than 25,000 patient families. ###
