Sometimes you just get lucky and end up with the greatest mom, one who adores and frustrates you, cheers you on and challenges you... someone willing to give it to you straight even when it's not comfortable, and someone willing to accept you just the way you are.

That's the mom who brought me into this wild and wacky world, and I attribute her influence on me as a big part of why I've become someone similar... someone strong and flexible, creative as the stars, and able to find silver linings in places normally seen as grey and dark.

Her name is Laurie Hutchinson (formerly Laurie Peck and born Laurie Anderson) and mine is Emma Swing (formerly Emma Peck and born Steven Peck).

And now is one of those grey and dark places and times.

On August 27th, she and her husband were in a motorcycle accident in BC's interior. Through no fault of their own, mom now lies in hospital, in the ICU, with multiple serious injuries from her T3/4 vertebrae all the way to the brightly-painted toenails on her right foot.

She's had a couple of surgeries over these past few weeks, and she still has a couple more ahead.

Though her prognosis is positive once she makes it through her surgeries, her road to recovery will be long. Besides being confined to her bed for at least the next eight weeks, she'll be unable to bear weight on her right leg for at least another four weeks after that. Her doctors here expect she may be in hospital right up to Christmas.

From just a few hours after the accident happened, my sisters and I have been here, coming from Nanaimo, Fort McMurray, and Brooks. They'll soon need to return to their partners, children, and lives at home, while I'm in a position where I can stay right up until mom is able to go home and resume her very active, friend-filled life.

So why am I here, and how can you help mom and me?

For mom, your prayers, well-wishes, and good vibes will make the emotional and mental parts of this journey a little easier to carry. Knowing people are cheering her on has already made the long hours pass more smoothly, so let's keep them coming.

And for me...

For the past 2.5 years I've been exploring life through a financial experiment of sorts, living without savings and learning to trust, again and again, that what I genuinely need will somehow arrive when it's needed.

Remarkably, this experiment has worked. My needs have been met as they've arisen, and I've learned a ton about living with less certainty while developing more faith and trust that what comes next will edify me in ways that are truly filling.

Then mom's accident changed the shape of things.

Being with her, not only in spirit, but physically present through her recovery, is creating expenses that are beyond what I can absorb on my own. Even with access to very affordable accommodation close to the hospital, my lodging costs are about $900 a month. Parking adds another $120, and groceries about $350.

For September through December, those basic costs alone will come to roughly $5,480.

So this is a moment when I'm allowing the experiment to include something new: asking for help.

If you're able to contribute financially, it will help me to stay here beside mom through these coming months. If you're not, your encouragement, sharing of this campaign, prayers, messages, and good energy are deeply welcome too.

Thank you for reading this, and for considering us at this time in whatever way you are able.

Much love,

Emma and Laurie