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Connor Colbert, of Somerville, proposed to his girlfriend Bridget Kelley shortly after arriving in Ireland for a vacation with Colbert's mother, step-brother, and step-father, Ken Mitchell. The joy the family felt soon turned into pain when the group was involved in a car crash on Wednesday, April 26 while still overseas, according to a GoFundMe campaign created to help the family recover.
Kelley received life-threatening injuries and was airlifted to Galway for emergency surgery. She was admitted to the ICU for her multiple abdominal injuries and suffered a stroke, which affected her vision.
Colbert's step-father, Mitchell, severed his patella tendon and his right foot had to be rebuilt in surgery, according to a GoFundMe created by Mitchell's union. Mitchell, of Plymouth, will be in a wheelchair for at least eight weeks, the GoFundMe said, and must stay in Ireland with his family while they recover.
Colbert and his mother received minor injuries in the crash. They have since been discharged from the hospital and are staying at a nearby hotel where they are "still in a good amount of pain but doing well otherwise," according to a Facebook post made by Colbert.
"[Bridget] is on the up, but has a long road ahead of her," Kelley's sister Courtney Repetto wrote in the GoFundMe campaign description she created to help her sister and her new family. "She is out of the ICU, but still not fully in the clear."
Mitchell posted a photo of his injured leg to Facebook, saying that a newly-added cast was a positive step towards recovery.
"At the moment I have no good legs to stand on only great support from friends to hold me up," Mitchell wrote.
The newly-extended family will recover in Ireland for an unknown amount of time. Donations made to either the GoFundMe created by Kelley's sister or by Mitchell's union will help cover costs associated with lodging, travel, hospital bills, and being out of work for an extended period of time.
Between the two fundraisers, the family's supporters have raised over $86,000.
"We are also blown away at the support received through the GoFundMe and cannot even put into words our level of gratitude," wrote Kelley's sister.
Click here to access the GoFundMe created by Kelley's sister, or click here to access the GoFundMe created by Mitchell's union.
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