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On August 26, 2007 my wife Linda Bauman suffered a head injury while water skiing (wakeboarding) at Quiet Waters Park in Deerfield Beach Florida. While she was wakeboarding she crashed in the water like we all do when we are learning a new skill. She hit the water with her head and body and then swam to shore and got out of the water. While she was walking back to me, I watched her collapse to her knees. I ran over to her and asked her if she is OK. She said she didn't feel well and started rubbing her head. She became unresponsive in my arms. Those were the last words she spoke to me. She then fell into a coma and has been comatose ever since.

Linda is the strongest person I have ever known. Giving her a chance with the proper care and coma stimulation is her only chance for recovery. After the accident she spent almost 100 days in the hospital in a coma. She needs to be at The Florida Institute for Neurological Rehabilitation (FINR). Here is where she will receive the stimulation and care she needs. Unfortunately BlueCross/BlueShield will not do the right thing and pay for her to go to FINR. They would rather spend as little as possible and put her in a Nursing Home for 60 days and then be done with their responsibility. Of course now it is costing more because while at the Nursing Home she developed pneumonia and a urinary tract infection. So more ER visit charges, hospital room charges and transport fees have occured therefore costing Blue Cross Blue Shield more money than if they were to transfer her to FINR.

Although we have what is considered “good” medical insurance, our medical provider, Blue Cross Blue Shield, has declined her transfer to the FINR facilities. Even with letters from her neurologists at the Broward Medical Center stating that it is a necessity that she be treated at the FINR facility, we have not been able get it approved through Blue Cross Blue Shield. I am hoping to raise enough funds from this raffle along with cashing in retirement savings and sick/vacation time, loans and personal savings to send Linda to FINR for their 90 day treatment plan.

For anyone who has ever met Linda or by looking at her pictures you can see that she can light up any room with her smile. She is the most outgoing, energetic, thoughtful and intelligent person I have ever known. Linda has always had that “I can do anything if I try personality.

She graduated from FAU with honors in exercise physiology and education, and is on the National Deans List. After University she had many different careers. Managing her father’s electrical company, Casino dealer, air traffic controller, but after moving back to Florida she pursued careers that helped people. She was the aquatic director at palm a beach county pool, swim coach, swim instructor and she belongs to the American swim coach’s assoc. Her Love for helping people brought her to a career as a firefighter/paramedic for Miami/Dade County Fire Rescue for 5 years. She left there to pursue firefighting closer to home in Boca Raton. In the interim she started massage school at Palm Beach Community College. She was about half way through when the accident happened. Never in 23 years together have I seen her eyes light up when she would come home and talk about massage school. I sure miss her practice massages.

For fun Linda loved sailing, kiteboarding, and wakeboarding. She has a love for the ocean and the great outdoors. Linda skippered a 20 catamaran sailboat at the Tybee 500 sailboat race. A 500 mile race up the coast of Florida. Recently she started kiteboarding, and wakeboarding. Wakeboarding is how she was injured.