On Monday, March 26th around 7:40 in the evening, Skye and her boyfriend, Ben, were riding their bicycles home from the grocery store. It was a casual one mile trip through a quiet residential neighborhood for Skye and Ben, both experienced mountain and road cyclists.  Just blocks from their apartment, Skye, for unknown reasons, lost control of her bike and fell, hitting her head on the pavement, putting her in a coma.

 In that blink of an eye, Skye’s life and the lives of all who love her changed forever. 

With Ben at her side, Skye was rushed to Mission Hospital where she was taken in for emergency surgery within 40 minutes. CAT scans showed she suffered significant head trauma with bleeding and swelling in her brain.  Skye was facing the fight of her life.  She pulled through surgery, but doctors gave little hope that she would survive overnight.  Family and friends stood watch and prayed that night as Skye defied the odds. The ripples extended across the country and worldwide as loved ones created a wide net of love and support for Skye.  Since the accident, Skye, in her indomitable spirit, has faced and overcome many, many more challenges, including three additional surgeries and an infection.  Skye has now taken steps on a long and arduous path of rehabilitation and recovery. She’ll face rigorous challenges on a daily basis, but we know she’ll meet them with the grace, strength, courage and spirit that make her an inspiration to all of us. 

Before the accident Skye was a compassionate, courageous, vibrant 26 year old woman who grabbed life with both hands and touched so many lives in so many positive ways. She enriched the lives of autistic children through her work as a therapist, attended to the emotional and physical comfort needs of Hispanic women in labor as a doula, worked with young children at an orphanage in Costa Rica and empowered immigrant adolescents to express themselves through photography. She also had a passion for environmental issues and community building.  At every turn, Skye looked for meaningful ways to reach out to others and give back generously to her community.

With her recent career changes, Skye was in between major medical policies and was uninsured at the time of the accident. Skye's situation inspired the creation of Reach for the Skye, Inc., a 501c3 nonprofit to assist individuals who have suffered traumatic brain injury while pursuing their passion the opportunity to regain the highest possible level of functioning in their lives. The mission of Reach for the Skye is to provide funds when other resources, such as private insurance, Medicare or Medicaid are not available or have been
exhausted.

The long-term cost of care for one person with a severe traumatic brain injury has been estimated at $4.1 to $9 million by the National Head Injury Foundation (NHIF). It is not uncommon for a person with a severe TBI to require 5-10 years of rehabilitation and followup services. The real need in funding is for the range of services and goods that are lifelong including alternative treatments, rehabilitation tools, accessible transportation, community re-entry programs, home modifications, personal assistance/attendant care, etc. When other resources are not available, Reach for the Skye will provide "above and beyond" funding to make otherwise unattainable goods and services available.

Every gift, no matter how small or large makes a meaningful difference.  You can make a secure tax deductible contribution here.  Donations may also be mailed to: 

Reach For The Skye, Inc.
PO Box 5683
Asheville, NC  28813