Event
BENEFIT CONCERT: Angela Fuller for Angela Sweet
On August 18, 2009, Angela Sweet was riding her bicycle to work when a horrific wreck shattered her helmet, ruptured her spleen, broke numerous bones throughout her body and face, and changed her life forever.
Police investigations remain inconclusive, but whatever the cause, Angela Sweet, a 27-year-old resident of West Seattle, was near death when paramedics arrived at the scene on Delridge Avenue last summer. Angela was rushed to Harborview where she remained on life support for five days and comatose for two weeks.
After multiple CT scans and MRIs, doctors diagnosed the young woman with a traumatic brain injury (TBI, specifically diffuse axonal injury), and gave her roughly a 10 percent chance of ever regaining consciousness. Angela did awake, but this would prove to be only the beginning of a long, perhaps indefinite road to recovery.
On November 11, Angela was discharged from the hospital under the auspices of a Harborview home therapy team. Though her recovery has been nothing short of miraculous, corners of her memory remain in shadows, certain mental functionalities are yet to be recovered, and her physical capabilities are severely limited.
Thankfully, Angela is not alone.
From the day Angela was rushed to intensive care, her husband, Josh, and her mother, Teresa, have provided tireless care, eventually helping Angela to relearn a number of basic functions such as speaking, eating, and walking.
Josh and Teresa (and eventually Angela herself) posted daily updates online from early on, offering reports of comingled hope and discouragement, tears and laughter, faith and fatigue, and lots and lots of love. These entries chronicled the healing process as more and more traces of Angela's unique personality escaped the oppression of TBI. "I knew she was going to be okay," Josh wrote, "when she came out of her coma talking about Jesus and funfetti cake."
The online updates accrued more than 25,000 hits during Angela's hospital stay. One faithful reader was Angela's childhood friend, Angela Fuller. Now a talented musician--recent concertmaster for the Houston Symphony--Fuller (a Seattle native) was moved by the trials of her close friend and extended an offer to perform a benefit concert to help provide for Angela's ongoing care.
Mars Hill Church, where Josh and Angela Sweet attend, offered to host the concert, and numerous friends and family have contributed to make the effort a purely volunteer event. This means that all proceeds will go directly to Angela's growing medical expenses.
Statistics indicate that lifetime care for individuals with severe TBI generally exceed $4 million and require five to ten years of intensive rehabilitation. All funds raised in support of Angela's recovery will be utilized to offset medical expenses not covered by the family's insurance policy.
All contributions and ticket sales will be deposited in a fund operated by the Seattle Christian Foundation. Future disbursement will be reviewed and administered by Helping Hands Ministries, Inc. This arrangement provides the Sweet family with legal and tax protection, ensures proper use of funds, and allows individuals to make tax-deductible contributions to Angela's care.
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LocationMars Hill Church | West Seattle
7551 35th Ave SW
Seattle, WA 98126
United States
Categories
| Kid Friendly: No |
| Dog Friendly: No |
| Non-Smoking: No |
| Wheelchair Accessible: No |
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