JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Jessica Gandy never anticipated spending the holidays by her son’s hospital bedside.
Her 14-year-old son, Andrew Gandy, was critically injured in a rollover crash late at night on Dec. 12.
According to the Florida Highway Patrol, Andrew was driving without a seatbelt when, for unknown reasons, the car veered off the road on the exit ramp to U.S. 1, flipped and hit a tree.
“He was 14 and doing teenage stuff he shouldn’t have been doing,” Jessica said, reflecting on the circumstances leading to the accident.
Jessica sacrifices work to stay by her son’s side, while her husband continues to work.
The family is feeling the financial strain from the loss of her income, prompting Jessica to set up a GoFundMe to help with the mounting medical expenses.
“There’s definitely a long road,” Jessica said. “They’re talking about looking at rehabilitation and patient rehabilitation. And he’s definitely had a very, very long road ahead of him.”
Andrew suffered significant brain damage from the accident. Although his recovery is expected to be lengthy, he is making small steps in the right direction.
“He’s making small movements with his hands and feet. He started to open his eyes and look around a little bit, but a lot of his movements are still very automated. He’s not doing them. His brain is trying to figure stuff out,” Jessica shared about her son’s current condition.
While they’ll find a way to still celebrate Christmas this week, she’s hoping for community support to get through this tough time.
“He’s going to need full-time caregivers, and we’re already struggling before this, so just prayers and any kind of support,” she said.
If you’d like to help with Andrew’s medical care, you can visit the GoFundMe.