An accident at the San Gabriel Mountains in California kills Lisa Mao leaving her 4 year old daughter Nova in a coma.
While a father from California is bearing the tragic loss of his wife, he thrives to aid his 4 year old daughter. The accident which left the family mentally and physically damaged, happened earlier this year.
Lisa Mao with her husband, Dahveed Kolodny-Nagy, plan on celebrating their daughter’s birthday this year. The pair take their daughter to Mount Baldy to celebrate her fourth birthday amidst the snow of the San Gabriel Mountains, according to GoFundMe. With their day coming to an end the family accidentally sleds “head first” into a boulder. The accident ends up killing Lisa and leaving little Nova in critical condition, as stated by the page.
“Lisa took the brunt of the impact while trying her best to shield her husband and daughter; tragically, she lost her life shortly after the impact,” per the GoFundMe page. “Nova was knocked unconscious with severe damage to her skull, brain, eyes, collar, liver, and a broken arm.”
“Dahveed did everything humanly possible to both resuscitate his beloved wife and care for his wounded daughter,” the donation page added. “Rescuers heard his calls and airlifted the two loves of his life to the hospital.”
As stated by GoFundMe, Lisa had no life insurance, therefore the campaign aims in striving to raise funds for Lisa’s funeral cost and Nova’s medical bills. On Monday afternoon a total of approximate $75,000 had been raised by the crowdfunding platform.
As reported by KTLA, Nova had been getting treatment for a broken arm and head and internal injuries since the accident on February 4. At a local ICU Nova was sustained to a medically induced coma.
Accident during sledding trip to San Gabriel Mountains kills mother, sends 4-year-old girl to ICU
“Pretty much right away, I was told that my wife was dead,” according to what Kolodny-Nagy told a news station. “I was told my daughter is in critical [condition] and it sounded like she most likely won’t survive. And I was beside myself with grief.”
“There was bruises all over [Nova], and there was no way I could call it quits,” he said about Nova, who had since experienced a series of surgeries, KTLA reported.
Nova is now in good condition and keeps on healing from the accident.
“I had to be strong, and I had to fight,” Kolodny-Nagy said to the news station on the tragic experience. “My daughter, she’s so strong and she’s such a fighter just like her mom, so I had to be there for my daughter.”
On the first mother’s day after the accident, Kologny-Nagy one message to people. The message is that everyone should be grateful for the moments spent with loved ones.
“My message to you guys… be grateful for the blessings in your life,” he added. “None of us know how long we have each other, so take advantage of that time.”