NEED TO KNOW<\/h3>\n\n- \n\n
Six years ago, lifelong Swiftie Brandi Hutchinson was involved in a car accident, leading to her soulmate’s death and causing her to need both legs amputated<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n
- \n\n
After years of struggling to afford a wheelchair van, which she needs to be able to easily leave her home, she connected with two Taylor Swift fans who amplified her story on their podcast<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n
- \n\n
\u201cI obviously cried like a baby because I’m very emotional,\u201d says Hutchinson of their generosity in an interview with PEOPLE<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Things were working out for Taylor Swift superfan Brandi Hutchinson.<\/p>\n
She had a job she loved \u2014\u00a0working in a men\u2019s recovery home for people experiencing addiction \u2014\u00a0and she was dating Skyler, who she believed to be her soulmate.<\/p>\n
It was early June, and the pair decided to take a road trip, driving from Ozark, Mo., down to Chattanooga, Tenn. But little did Hutchinson know that as she was leaving her home, she wouldn\u2019t return for over four months, and when she did, her partner would no longer be by her side.<\/p>\n
During the trip, she tells PEOPLE, they were caught in a severe rainstorm \u2014\u00a0causing their vehicle to hydroplane and ultimately roll over four times. When she finally woke up in the hospital two days later, doctors told her that she had suffered a complete spinal cord injury.<\/p>\n
Skyler had been put into a medically induced coma as soon as first responders reached the scene of the crash, and he was quickly determined to be brain-dead.<\/p>\n
She and his parents decided to \u201clet him go,\u201d she says. And Hutchinson started the long road to recovery, one that she admits she is still on, even six years later.<\/p>\n
First, it was rehab for her final cord injury. After several successive sepsis diagnoses, she was placed on antibiotics for life. Then doctors diagnosed her with osteomyelitis, a bone infection that she was told was \u201ctoo deep to cure.\u201d And she\u2019s had countless procedures, including a double above-the-knee amputation.<\/p>\n
It was 145 days before she finally returned home in Ozark.<\/p>\n
But things were not the same. On top of the unimaginable death of Skyler, she had lost much of her mobility \u2014\u00a0including her ability to travel to her old workplace or move around its inaccessible building. Her mom, who was in her 60s, moved back in to become her full-time caretaker. And though she bought a used wheelchair van for $1,500, its 20-year-old parts quickly needed to be replaced, accruing thousands more in mechanic fees just for her to be able to easily leave her house.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt seems like there\u2019s constantly something new,\u201d Hutchinson, now 33, tells PEOPLE. \u201cIt\u2019s so overwhelming sometimes that I don\u2019t know how to process it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Then entered sisters Lauren and Meredith Redding into her story. The Swifties, ages 33 and 41, respectively, are both therapists and hosts of TheraSwifts<\/em>, a weekly podcast where they interview a Taylor Swift fan about how the Grammy winner\u2019s music helped them heal during a tough time in their lives. After reading Brandi\u2019s account in their submission form, they knew they had to bring her on.<\/p>\n\u201cI was stunned by the bad luck she had had,\u201d Meredith tells PEOPLE. \u201cIt was just one thing after the other.\u201d<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n\nBrandi Hutchinson<\/p>\n
Brandi Hutchinson<\/p><\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
Even being selected to come onto the show felt like a blessing for Hutchinson: \u201cI\u2019m one of those people who perpetually never wins anything,\u201d she says. \u201cAnd then I got the email and I was like, \u2018There\u2019s no way.\u2019 \u201d<\/p>\n
During the podcast episode<\/a>, which they recorded in July and released on Aug. 20, Hutchinson recounted her harrowing story. She described how her disability continues to impact her life, and particularly how her wheelchair van \u2014 which has been nonoperational for several months \u2014\u00a0has prevented her from being able to find employment because it is so difficult to leave the house with her wheelchair.<\/p>\nEven when she would start to pinch pennies to save for a new vehicle, Hutchinson says, a more pressing financial need like paying her rent would drain her savings, making the $50,000 she would need to buy a new van feel more and more out of reach.<\/p>\n
As soon as they finished recording the episode, recalls Lauren, she and her sister got on the phone and burst into tears over how touching they had found Hutchinson\u2019s story. And they knew they couldn\u2019t just put the podcast out into the world without doing something more.<\/p>\n\n![\"Robin](\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/yJ3_UNz3txy8i0hcxjVlfA--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTcwNTtoPTkyMDtjZj13ZWJw\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/people_218\/ed15f0d3a7b3db309d534ce58ee80bf9\"\/)
<\/div>\n\nRobin Daley<\/p>\n
Lauren Redding<\/p><\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\u201cBrandi was so lovely and articulate and really helped even me think more about disability rights,\u201d says Meredith. \u201cIt was like, \u2018Man, if this person was able to have literally and metaphorically more mobility, she would be such an amazing advocate in more ways too. And also she just deserves a living raise.\u2019 \u201d<\/p>\n
Adds Lauren: \u201cWe were like, \u2018We\u2019re getting her a van.\u2019 \u201d<\/p>\n
Never miss a story \u2014 sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter<\/a> to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer\u200b\u200b, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.<\/strong><\/p>\nOnce they got Hutchinson\u2019s OK, they threw together an infographic<\/a> with a brief paragraph about her story and her need for funds to afford a new wheelchair van, calling on the community to donate to her Venmo account<\/a>. They also reached out to a network of former guests \u2014\u00a0some of whom have thousands of followers \u2014\u00a0to get the word out.<\/p>\n\u201cI obviously cried like a baby because I’m very emotional,\u201d says Hutchinson of her reaction when she learned Lauren and Meredith\u2019s plans to raise money for her cause. \u201cJust being able to film the podcast felt like I had made these new friends and I had gotten this beautiful opportunity that I never expected.\u201d<\/p>\n
Continues Hutchinson: \u201cFor them to want to keep going was just so moving because, from what I’ve experienced the last six years, it’s rare to come across like good people. So when you do, it’s just so overwhelming.\u201d<\/p>\n\n![\"Meredith](\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/cQh9_pNfrwCBG0yn9Lwgfw--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTQyMDtoPTY0ODtjZj13ZWJw\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/people_218\/9a0f93b0ba47dd70786188f724e1b8cf\"\/)
<\/div>\n\nMeredith Redding<\/p>\n
Meredith Redding<\/p><\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
The donations started rolling in, totaling over $1,100 since they made the post in August. And many of them were in increments of 13 \u2014 a nod to Swift\u2019s lucky number<\/a> \u2014\u00a0and hand heart emoji, referencing the on-stage symbol Swift would make during the Eras Tour and throughout her career.<\/p>\n\u201cI already love [Swift] so much and it just adds to it when you see that there\u2019s nothing like the Swiftie community,\u201d says Hutchinson.<\/p>\n
While Hutchinson acknowledges that she still has a long way to go before she can afford to buy a new vehicle, she says that she\u2019s remained adamant that she has to tell her story as widely as possible on behalf of the entire disabled community \u2014\u00a0and that nothing is going to stop her.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m in the middle of small-town Missouri,” she tells PEOPLE. \u201cBut these are the moments when I\u2019m like, \u2018This is me being as loud as I can be about disability.\u2019 \u201d<\/p>\n
Read the original article on People<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Six years ago, lifelong Swiftie Brandi Hutchinson was involved in a car accident, leading to her soulmate’s death and causing her to need both legs amputated<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n
After years of struggling to afford a wheelchair van, which she needs to be able to easily leave her home, she connected with two Taylor Swift fans who amplified her story on their podcast<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n
\u201cI obviously cried like a baby because I’m very emotional,\u201d says Hutchinson of their generosity in an interview with PEOPLE<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Things were working out for Taylor Swift superfan Brandi Hutchinson.<\/p>\n
She had a job she loved \u2014\u00a0working in a men\u2019s recovery home for people experiencing addiction \u2014\u00a0and she was dating Skyler, who she believed to be her soulmate.<\/p>\n
It was early June, and the pair decided to take a road trip, driving from Ozark, Mo., down to Chattanooga, Tenn. But little did Hutchinson know that as she was leaving her home, she wouldn\u2019t return for over four months, and when she did, her partner would no longer be by her side.<\/p>\n
During the trip, she tells PEOPLE, they were caught in a severe rainstorm \u2014\u00a0causing their vehicle to hydroplane and ultimately roll over four times. When she finally woke up in the hospital two days later, doctors told her that she had suffered a complete spinal cord injury.<\/p>\n
Skyler had been put into a medically induced coma as soon as first responders reached the scene of the crash, and he was quickly determined to be brain-dead.<\/p>\n
She and his parents decided to \u201clet him go,\u201d she says. And Hutchinson started the long road to recovery, one that she admits she is still on, even six years later.<\/p>\n
First, it was rehab for her final cord injury. After several successive sepsis diagnoses, she was placed on antibiotics for life. Then doctors diagnosed her with osteomyelitis, a bone infection that she was told was \u201ctoo deep to cure.\u201d And she\u2019s had countless procedures, including a double above-the-knee amputation.<\/p>\n
It was 145 days before she finally returned home in Ozark.<\/p>\n
But things were not the same. On top of the unimaginable death of Skyler, she had lost much of her mobility \u2014\u00a0including her ability to travel to her old workplace or move around its inaccessible building. Her mom, who was in her 60s, moved back in to become her full-time caretaker. And though she bought a used wheelchair van for $1,500, its 20-year-old parts quickly needed to be replaced, accruing thousands more in mechanic fees just for her to be able to easily leave her house.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt seems like there\u2019s constantly something new,\u201d Hutchinson, now 33, tells PEOPLE. \u201cIt\u2019s so overwhelming sometimes that I don\u2019t know how to process it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Then entered sisters Lauren and Meredith Redding into her story. The Swifties, ages 33 and 41, respectively, are both therapists and hosts of TheraSwifts<\/em>, a weekly podcast where they interview a Taylor Swift fan about how the Grammy winner\u2019s music helped them heal during a tough time in their lives. After reading Brandi\u2019s account in their submission form, they knew they had to bring her on.<\/p>\n \u201cI was stunned by the bad luck she had had,\u201d Meredith tells PEOPLE. \u201cIt was just one thing after the other.\u201d<\/p>\n Brandi Hutchinson<\/p>\n Brandi Hutchinson<\/p><\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Even being selected to come onto the show felt like a blessing for Hutchinson: \u201cI\u2019m one of those people who perpetually never wins anything,\u201d she says. \u201cAnd then I got the email and I was like, \u2018There\u2019s no way.\u2019 \u201d<\/p>\n During the podcast episode<\/a>, which they recorded in July and released on Aug. 20, Hutchinson recounted her harrowing story. She described how her disability continues to impact her life, and particularly how her wheelchair van \u2014 which has been nonoperational for several months \u2014\u00a0has prevented her from being able to find employment because it is so difficult to leave the house with her wheelchair.<\/p>\n Even when she would start to pinch pennies to save for a new vehicle, Hutchinson says, a more pressing financial need like paying her rent would drain her savings, making the $50,000 she would need to buy a new van feel more and more out of reach.<\/p>\n As soon as they finished recording the episode, recalls Lauren, she and her sister got on the phone and burst into tears over how touching they had found Hutchinson\u2019s story. And they knew they couldn\u2019t just put the podcast out into the world without doing something more.<\/p>\n Robin Daley<\/p>\n Lauren Redding<\/p><\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n \u201cBrandi was so lovely and articulate and really helped even me think more about disability rights,\u201d says Meredith. \u201cIt was like, \u2018Man, if this person was able to have literally and metaphorically more mobility, she would be such an amazing advocate in more ways too. And also she just deserves a living raise.\u2019 \u201d<\/p>\n Adds Lauren: \u201cWe were like, \u2018We\u2019re getting her a van.\u2019 \u201d<\/p>\n Never miss a story \u2014 sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter<\/a> to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer\u200b\u200b, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.<\/strong><\/p>\n Once they got Hutchinson\u2019s OK, they threw together an infographic<\/a> with a brief paragraph about her story and her need for funds to afford a new wheelchair van, calling on the community to donate to her Venmo account<\/a>. They also reached out to a network of former guests \u2014\u00a0some of whom have thousands of followers \u2014\u00a0to get the word out.<\/p>\n \u201cI obviously cried like a baby because I’m very emotional,\u201d says Hutchinson of her reaction when she learned Lauren and Meredith\u2019s plans to raise money for her cause. \u201cJust being able to film the podcast felt like I had made these new friends and I had gotten this beautiful opportunity that I never expected.\u201d<\/p>\n Continues Hutchinson: \u201cFor them to want to keep going was just so moving because, from what I’ve experienced the last six years, it’s rare to come across like good people. So when you do, it’s just so overwhelming.\u201d<\/p>\n Meredith Redding<\/p>\n Meredith Redding<\/p><\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n The donations started rolling in, totaling over $1,100 since they made the post in August. And many of them were in increments of 13 \u2014 a nod to Swift\u2019s lucky number<\/a> \u2014\u00a0and hand heart emoji, referencing the on-stage symbol Swift would make during the Eras Tour and throughout her career.<\/p>\n \u201cI already love [Swift] so much and it just adds to it when you see that there\u2019s nothing like the Swiftie community,\u201d says Hutchinson.<\/p>\n While Hutchinson acknowledges that she still has a long way to go before she can afford to buy a new vehicle, she says that she\u2019s remained adamant that she has to tell her story as widely as possible on behalf of the entire disabled community \u2014\u00a0and that nothing is going to stop her.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m in the middle of small-town Missouri,” she tells PEOPLE. \u201cBut these are the moments when I\u2019m like, \u2018This is me being as loud as I can be about disability.\u2019 \u201d<\/p>\n Read the original article on People<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>
<\/div>