What was supposed to be a fun family bonding experience ended in tragedy when a mother died while sledding with her daughter and husband.
According to reports, Dahveed Kolodny-Nagy and his wife Lisa Mao brought their daughter Nova to Mount Baldy in California on February 4 to celebrate her fourth birthday. The trio had a fun time in the snow — until the end of their trip, when all three were on a sled that lost control and collided head first into a huge boulder.
In a GoFundMe page set up to help Dahveed, a family member explained that “Lisa took the brunt of the impact while trying her best to shield her husband and daughter” and tragically “lost her life shortly after the impact.”
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The impact knocked Nova unconscious, giving her a broken arm and causing severe damage to her skull, brain, eyes, collar, and liver. The family member explained:
“Dahveed did everything humanly possible to both resuscitate his beloved wife and care for his wounded daughter. Rescuers heard his calls and airlifted the two loves of his life to the hospital.”
Unimaginably devastating.
To make matters worse, Lisa didn’t have any life insurance at the time of the fatal accident, the fundraiser explained, leaving the widower with the cost of burying his wife in addition to the huge medical bills for his daughter.
The original post stated that, sadly, doctors can’t tell how much damage was done to the toddler’s mind because there’s “too much swelling in Nova’s brain right now.” However, in the weeks since, some updates revealed that the little girl was slowly improving. On February 9, Nova underwent a craniectomy to remove a portion of her skull to relieve the swelling. A week later, she opened one eye while still comatose — before finally leaving ICU on February 23.
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In another update, Dahveed explained he didn’t have the proper insurance to have his young daughter moved to a long-term children’s rehabilitation center where she would spend 18 months re-learning “skills like talking and walking.” He also noted that Nova has no idea her mother had died, writing:
“Please understand that she is now fully awake but with her brain so badly damaged she is not capable of comprehension, including any motor skills.”
He later revealed that Lisa has still not been buried three months after the accident, writing:
“I have not had a chance yet to catch my breath but out of necessity I am spending time away from my daughter to make preparations for my wife.”
The fundraiser explained in another update that the mother’s body is “being preserved,” telling patrons:
“Lisa is in good hands and is being preserved until Dahveed can focus on giving his beautiful wife the funeral she deserves.”
Yet another sad update revealed that the father finally got Nova into the rehab center, but wasn’t allowed to see his child at all because of strict COVID rules. He was apparently so distraught by not being able to see Nova that security was called to escort him out.
Lisa’s funeral is scheduled for June 25, but it’s unclear if Nova will be able to attend. Meanwhile, the GoFundMe page has raised over $84,000.
Our hearts go out to Dahveed and Nova during this extraordinarily difficult time.
[Image via John Finney/WENN]
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