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Four days after blowing out the candles on her 22nd birthday cake, Melaina Gargano’s life took a devastating turn.
The Ward Melville High School graduate and Arizona State University student eight days ago was a passenger in a car wreck her family reports was caused by a suspected drunk driver. The Feb. 25 accident left the college senior with catastrophic injuries to her right leg, and doctors at her current Arizona hospital are recommending amputation, citing the extreme complexity of her trauma.
Yet her family said a specialized limb salvage center in Pennsylvania has seen Gargano’s medical report and believes her leg can be saved — if she can get there in time.
Her family launched a GoFundMe page on Wednesday in a last-ditch effort to fund the medical air transport to Pennsylvania and to pay the huge cost of the surgery that could potentially save her leg — bills the family’s insurance company have so far refused to pay.
In one day, the GoFundMe has exploded to $74,000 in donations. But the ongoing tidal wave of generosity remains far short of the $260,000 needed to pay for transportation and the surgery.
“She has already endured four surgeries and is expected to require 15+ more, but this next surgery is critical,” Gargano’s aunt, Kimberly Scarola of Stony Brook, explained on the GoFundMe page for Gargano of South Setauket. “The Pennsylvania facility has the combined orthopedic, plastic, and vascular surgical expertise needed for this level of trauma, resources the current hospital does not have.”
Devastating injuries
Indeed, the numbers tell a brutal story.
Three inches of Gargano’s tibia are missing. Her fibula is fractured and most of the skin and muscle on her lower leg and foot are severely damaged.
Additionally, she has been diagnosed with drop foot. One of her three major leg veins is not functioning and another is at risk of failing, Scarola said.
“In an instant, her life changed forever,” Scarola wrote on the fundraising page.
Family appeals insurance’s decision but time is short
Gargano’s family is appealing the insurance company’s decision. But they do not have time to wait out the appeal process, Scarola explained.
The family anticipates that total direct medical costs over the next two years will exceed $350,000.
Family by her side
Gargano’s parents and siblings, including her mom Victoria, a real estate agent based in Stony Brook, are in the hospital by her side constantly, said her aunt.
“Melaina has a kind and loving soul, a playful spirit, and a joy for life that lights up every room she enters,” Scarola wrote. “She loves to dance, sing and effortlessly lift the spirits of those around her with laughter and warmth.
“She is a truly beautiful person inside and out, and she deserves every chance to regain her independence and walk again,” she added.
