A mother-and-daughter pair are grateful to be alive and to be by each other’s side after a terrifying experience in the March 14 tornado that destroyed their Lakeview area home.
The duo displayed tremendous courage in the face of painful injuries that they each sustained and have banded together to help each other persevere in their recoveries.
The community is rallying around Amanda Gear and her daughter, 15-year-old Caylie Short, with a fundraising campaign.
Caylie, a sophomore at Indian Lake High School, is a part of the Ignite Youth Group at Indian Lake Community Church. Her Youth Pastor Tara Cascioli is organizing a Go Fund Me page to assist the family. As of Monday afternoon, 109 donors had contributed over $6,500 to the campaign, “Amanda and Caylie Tornado Relief.”
“The emotional and physical toll this has taken on them is unimaginable,” Cascioli said. “If you feel led to donate to this family to get them back on their feet, I and the family would be so very appreciative. Thank you for supporting them in any way you can.”
On that fateful Thursday evening, Gear said she was at home, and thankfully, her daughter arrived home about 30 minutes prior to the tornado sirens sounding.
Initially, Gear related that she “didn’t take the sirens too seriously,” thinking it was just a minor storm. However, she took shelter in the hallway, and few minutes later, they decided it might be better for her and Caylie to go to a bedroom and take cover with the mattresses.
But Amanda remembered that front door needed to be locked, as it was broken and wouldn’t sustain the winds.
As soon as she locked the door, Gear said the whole trailer shook, and the impact of the storm knocked her down and threw her around their home.
Once the trailer stop moving, Gear stood up started yelling for her daughter. She was heart-broken when she heard Caylie outside, screaming and calling for help. The teen had been thrown out of the trailer, and was laying in the grass nearby U.S. Route 33.
The mother of the 15-year-old girl tried to help her up, but quickly realized her daughter had a broken her ankle, with the bone exposed and she couldn’t walk.
“I told her to stay put, and I’ll find help,” Gear said.
She ran as quickly as she could toward U.S. 33, where she said a female passerby in a car stopped to help and called 911.
Gear recounts that it was within minutes that she heard sirens and took the squad to Caylie, where her daughter was receiving “lots of help.”
The pair were transported by squad to Mary Rutan Hospital. Caylie was transferred to Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, where she underwent ankle surgery on her left leg and foot and then last Monday, underwent another surgery on her right ankle.
The ILHS student also has a broken clavicle, which won’t require surgery. Caylie’s doctors said late last week she should be released from the hospital soon, but would leave in a wheelchair and her recovery will take a several months.
Her mother sustained bruising and broken facial bones, including a broken eye socket. Her recovery will take several months as well and she will have to have surgery.
Her surgeons would like to wait for about three months until some of the facial bones heal, then they will fix the septum and her broken nose.
Cascioli also encouraged prayers to be lifted for the brave mother and daughter during this difficult time. If you would prefer another method of donation, reach out to Cascioli at Indian Lake Community Church.
Amanda Gear, standing, hugs her 15-year-old daughter Caylie Short during Caylie’s treatment at Nationwide Children’s Hospital (SUBMITTED PHOTO)