Diana Details
As most of you know by now, our good friend Diana Silonova was in a serious car accident in January. You also probably know that she is facing several hurdles, both physical and financial, and she needs all the support we can give to help her meet those challenges.
There are several ways you can help right now. Keep reading to find out how.
For those who don’t know Diana, she is from Slovakia and was on the 1998 -2000 Slovakian Women’s National Soccer team. Diana then came to the U.S. on a soccer scholarship to the University of Bridgeport, received her MBA at Fairfield University, and last year began working at IBM in Human Resources. All the while, Diana continued her love of soccer by playing and coaching at many places including the Olympic Development Program and various soccer clubs in Ridgefield, Norwalk, Westport, and Weston. On January 14, 2009, just two months shy of her 29th birthday, Diana was driving home from work when she had a car accident.
While Diana’s family lives in Slovakia, she is determined to stay in the U.S. with her friends, maximize her rehabilitation potential, and return to the work at IBM that she loves. Her dedication and passion for life are truly inspirational to all who meet Diana, and this is our chance to give back.
Spinal Cord Injury:
Diana is paralyzed from the chest down.
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The Official Diagnosis is that Diana has a C4 Complete injury. This means that the fourth Cervical vertebrae is the last level of the spine that she has full, normal neural activity. Complete means that she is unable to reliably repeat or demonstrate control or experience sensation below this level.
Her Prognosis is that Diana will be able to move her neck, shoulders and muscles controlling shoulder (rotator cuff area), also she can use her biceps and bend her arms, but everything below her upper arms… wrist, hands, fingers, torso, legs, feet…is a small probability of regaining control and/or sensation. BUT Diana is determined to beat the odds, work extremely hard, and walk again…with our help.
Financial:
Our goal is to raise $125,000.
Besides the tremendous physical challenges that Diana is facing from her accident, she has financial hurdles ahead of her as well. Thankfully, her insurance will cover all medical costs after she fulfills her $5,150 out-of-pocket requirement.
Insurance may not cover her attending additional therapy sessions here known as the “Day Program.” If the insurance does not cover, Diana would like to attend for at least 2 weeks. The cost of the program would be $6,000.
The next concern is transportation. Diana will require a wheelchair accessible Van to get around. These vans are purchased and then modified with a ramp or a lift by a third-party company. The total cost will be roughly $40,000.
The other category that insurance will not reimburse is Bathroom Equipment, and she will require a Shower Chair which is $2,000.
The largest cost will be ongoing; and hopefully will diminish with time, but she is going to require a skilled Caregiver to assist in her daily routine. This cost will probably be around $2500 a month; which totals $30,000 for the first year.
You Can Help Right Now.
You can donate to Diana’s fund by clicking here.
You can either give a large one-time gift or set up a recurring donation.
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You can attend one of the many Fundraising Events already in the works in Connecticut, New York and Arizona.
Her friends and colleagues have already arranged an indoor soccer tournament, an intercollegiate game and a Bar Night. Go to www.silonova.com or Diana’s Facebook Group for details on all of the events going on. Spread the word—invite your friends and tell them to invite theirs.
You can set up your own fundraising event.
It’s as easy as having a house party with a suggested donation at the door. Or if you’re running a 5k this spring, run it in Diana’s honor and collect pledges for every kilometer you complete. Or you can plan your own 5k race and get your friends and family to run and collect pledges!
Share your ideas at www.silonova.com.
IBM Employees and ECCC
IBM Employees may now contribute to Diana’s fund through their ECCC Campaign. To make a pledge or update their allocations, IBM employees can send a private note to Charity Payroll Services/Endicott/IBM indicating the fund code 0Q418, NTAF Spinal Cord Injury Fund for Diana Silonova. They should indicate the semi-monthly pledge amount along with their serial number. Notes sent by March 20th would be reflected in the March 30th payroll. Any questions may be directed to Bill MacNamara/Thornwood/Contr/IBM.
To plan a fundraising event, please coordinate your efforts with Deborah.
We are working with NTAF www.transplantfund.org for all fundraising efforts. Deborah can point you in the right direction.
Diana is intent on beating the odds and getting back on her feet again. She’s doing the very hard physical and mental work to make it happen.
We—her friends—can help her out with the rest.
Please contribute how you can today.
Thank you so much for your support!
For more questions and more information:
Deborah: netroute@aol.com
www.silonova.com
Diana Silanova’s Friends on Facebook
