Events raise funds for car crash victim’s medical expenses

After three years of unemployment, Anne-Monique Lippitt's father was on his way to California on Oct. 10, 2011, for a job . But two days later , she was involved in a near-fatal car accident near St. George, Utah, and was airlifted by Mercy Air to the University Medical Center's trauma center, 1800 W. Charleston Blvd.

With 20-year-old Lippitt in and out of surgeries since then, her father has been unable to take the job in California, and the Centennial Hills family of eight is scrambling to try to pay for top-quality care for Lippitt.

Lippitt is in a slow recovery at Progressive Hospital, 4015 S. McLeod Drive, a relief for her parents, who were initially told their daughter would not survive when she was at UMC, said her mother, Annie Dubro.

Lippitt suffered from head trauma and had enough pressure built up in her head that she underwent a craniotomy four days after the accident. A little more than two months later, Lippitt underwent a cranioplasty to have the missing piece of her skull placed back.

By Dec. 21, Lippitt needed another surgery at UMC. Her latest scan showed fluid in her brain, and the neurosurgeon readmitted her. She ran a fever afterward and was placed on antibiotics, her mother said, for fear of an infectious disease.

"It takes time. She has been making progress from the time of her accident to now," Dubro said. "She's making it quicker than what's expected."

As of early January, Lippitt was still on a breathing machine , although she is starting to breathe on her own. Slowly, she is showing signs of recovery, such as more control of her extremities and eye movement.

"She's still unable to speak, but she's humming," her mother said.

The humming started as soon as the portion of her left skull was replaced.

"She has more facial expressions . She does react to pain stimulation," her mother said.

But Dubro believes Lippitt would get better care at a traumatic brain injury specialty center at Craig Hospital in Englewood, Colo. Insurance considers it out of network, however, and the cash-strapped family is pulling at all its strings. Its co-pay to get Lippitt there is estimated to be $10,000, her mother said, and that does not include the helicopter ride or the necessary renovations for their home when Lippitt is able to return.

"She'll be needy when she comes back . She'll be handicapped," her mother said. "I don't even know where to begin there . I'm just overwhelmed right now."

While her mother said she would rather spend every moment at the hospital with her daughter, she must work. She continues to teach classes part-time at a gym.

"Every time I see progress in her, it gives us hope each time that she is going to make it through," Dubro said. "She's continuing to fight . I feel it."

Lippitt's boyfriend of more than three years, Brandon Lopez, who attends school in Utah, is back and forth every chance he gets to visit Lippitt, Dubro said.

Lopez said he and Lippitt first met at a school carnival when he was in middle school. He asked her to the homecoming dance his freshman year at Spring Valley High School, and a few years later they started dating. He described her as an outgoing, religious girl who helped put his life on path.

"Smart, caring, beautiful, funny," Lopez said.

He and Lippitt discussed marriage a few times before the accident, and it is still part of his plan, he said.

Lippitt dropped Lopez off at class on the day of the accident before she headed back toward Las Vegas. He had considered skipping the class to ride back, too, but changed his mind last minute. He said he was shocked when her step father called him to ask if he had heard from her.

"Not really knowing for the first five hours or so, it was all pretty shocking and like a nightmare," he said. "I didn't really think it was happening."

Lopez said he has tried to spread the word about the community's fundraisers and reached out to friends and family for their support to get Lippitt specialized care in Colorado.

The community outreach has been strong, Dubro said. Raising Cane's Chicken Fingers and Buffalo Wild Wings ran fundraisers to help the family cover the fees of getting Lippitt to Colorado. Lippitt's mother said she asked for one day at one location, but Raising Cane's decided to run a week long fundraiser valley wide.

As of early January, the family had amassed almost $8,000 toward its goal, Dubro said.

"We're still a little shy to make that $10,000, but we're determined to make it," Dubro said.

Dubro said she is overwhelmed by the generosity of the community.

"It helps when people tell their stories . It helps a lot," she said. "People come around a lot. My husband and I didn't even know where to start."

To donate, visit gofundme.com/1divbg or make a donation to account No. 3447129820 at a Wells Fargo Bank branch.

Contact Centennial and North Las Vegas View reporter Laura Phelps at lphelps@viewnews.com or 702-477-3839.