BY CAROLINE BUNNELL
The Stonehill community is coming together to raise money and provide support to the family and friends of beloved student Lauren Rauseo after being seriously injured during a bike accident in Spain on March 17.
“Lauren is such a light to anyone that meets her. She makes everyone feel included and loved no matter if you have known her for a day or several years,” her close friend and suitemate Ellie Houk said. “I can confidently say that she is unforgettable.”
Rauseo was visiting Spain for the weekend with a group of friends while studying abroad for the semester in Paris. She was forced off the road by a car then struck a wall leading to extensive injuries. Rauseo has a traumatic brain injury, broken clavicle, broken hip, and punctured lung which led to a medically induced coma, her father Dave Rauseo said to Boston 25.
Rauseo is a junior double majoring in English and Communication. She also received the Benjamin A. Gilman Scholarship which is a $3,000 scholarship sponsored by the U.S Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs to support students when studying abroad.
The college put out a statement in support of Rauseo’s recovery and her family.
“On March 17, Lauren Rauseo, a current Stonehill College junior, was in a bicycle accident in Spain while studying abroad. Campus Ministry recently held a Mass to offer prayers for her healing. The Stonehill College community is praying for Lauren’s full recovery and offers support to her family,” Stonehill said in the statement.
In the aftermath of the accident, Rauseo is left in need of extensive medical treatment that can best be done in a pediatric trauma center in Boston. To get this treatment Rauseo needs a medical flight back to the United States to begin her long road to recovery. These treatments and flight come at an extremely high cost and leaves her family in need of support.
“The costs associated with Lauren's medical care, including the necessary medi-flight back to the U.S., are staggering,” Helen DeCosta, organizer of the GoFundMe said. “In this hour of dire need, we turn to you, our community, friends and kind-hearted strangers, to help alleviate the financial burden on Lauren's family. By contributing to this fund, you are offering more than financial support, you are giving hope, love and the invaluable peace of mind that comes from knowing we are not alone in our fight to bring Lauren home.”
In the hours and days following the accident, dozens of Stonehill students have reposted the fundraiser on social media along with messages of support.
Within hours of posting the fundraiser, thousands of dollars of donations and messages of support began flooding in. With an end goal of $250,000, the donations total over $192,000 as of Monday March 25, with donations coming from students, families, friends, Stonehill alumni, and others who want to support Rauseo in her recovery.
Friends, family and other supporters posted words of encouragement in the Words of support section of the GoFundMe.
“Keep fighting, Lauren!,” Elizabeth Stringer Keefe said.
“From a Stonehill Family- Can’t even imagine how hard this must be. Sending thoughts and prayers of healing and positivity. Thinking of Lauren and sending strength for her recovery,” Beth Perry said.
On campus, various students and groups are working to support her in any way they can.
Monday through Wednesday in the lower commons, there will be bracelets for sale handmade by her friends in support of Lauren’s recovery.
Each bracelet will be $2 which can be paid through cash or venmo. There will also be a QR code available that leads to the GoFundMe if students don’t want a bracelet.
“There will also be cards for people to write a note to her and a poster that says ‘Get Well Soon’ that we are hoping people will sign for her,” junior Emily Naff said.
Rauseo was also very involved on campus, especially with Dance Club. She has been a member of the club since her freshman year and was a member of the eboard for the fall semester before going abroad.
Dance Club co-president and senior Madelyn Clancy hopes to be able to support Rauseo as a club and highlight her vibrant personality.
“Since her first year at Stonehill, Lauren has been a dedicated member of dance club. We were thrilled when she joined the EBoard, as she embodies the positivity and inclusivity that dance club aims to promote. She truly lights up the room wherever she goes, and her kindness and love of life is so impactful on everyone around her,” Clancy said.
At Dance Club’s spring performance on April 28, there is a plan to have a fundraiser with the proceeds going to her family. Clancy said that more information will come closer to the show date.
“The best thing that people can do to support her and her family is to continue to share her story to show how much of a ray of sunshine she really is,” Houk said. “And by continuing to donate to her GoFundMe to help lessen the expenses of everything. Anything helps to bring her home back to her family and friends, where she can continue to recover and be home”.
Rauseo’s father Dave spoke to Boston 25 in an interview and thanked everyone for their continued prayers and support during the difficult time.
“I just wanted to take a minute and thank everyone from the bottom of my heart for the support,” her father told Boston 25.
Rauseo noted in the interview that his main focus is getting his child home and getting her the best care possible.
In an interview with WCVB Channel 5, Rauseo’s parents gave positive updates about their daughters condition.
“Rauseo’s parents now say that their daughter is alert and talking and that some of her factures are healing naturally,” WCVB wrote on their website after speaking with Lauren’s parents.
Houk is extremely grateful for the support her and her friends have received in the aftermath of the accident.
“The overwhelming support that has been brought on all of us has been so heartwarming. It has really showed us how much love we share for this amazing human. It has made me tear up at the thought of how happy she will be when she sees how many people have shown their support for her,” Houk said. On behalf of my friends and I we just want to thank everyone and being so kind for supporting our best friend, it means the world to us”.