A Black Tennessee woman’s trip to Jamaica did not go as planned. Now, she’s wondering how and when she’ll be able to return home.
Last week, while enjoying her time in Jamaica with family, Cierra Stockard thought it would be a good idea to swim with some dolphins, who have a reputation for being one of the most gentle and friendly sea creatures. However, she learned quickly that you should approach the mammals with caution.
In an interview with WKRN, Stockard recalled how one of the dolphins lifted her into the air, causing her to fall and land on the animal’s dorsal fin.
“It just felt like I got into a car accident,” Stockard told WKRN. “The force of it — it felt like boom! Something just happened really bad.”
She later added, “I was just in so much pain. Tears were just running down my face.”
The blunt-force trauma of the accident reportedly left her with a hematoma, which is a localized collection of blood outside of blood vessels, typically caused by injury, the National Cancer Institute described, that is the size of “three apples.”
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She underwent emergency surgery and said she was scared she’d never see her two young daughters again. Stockard also told News 2 she suffers from sickle cell anemia, which affects the shape of red blood cells.
“We need her home because this is just not a good circumstance,” her aunt, Kimberley Watkins, said. “This is just not a good situation.”
Although Stockard is in “good spirits,” she’s having trouble getting stateside.
In a GoFundMe organized by Nevaeh Garton, Stockard’s sister, she wrote, “At this point we just want her home to her babies! We’ve looked into everything to see what’s the best safe option for her.”
She continued, “Her insurance does not cover international emergency travel so we will have to come out of pocket for the emergency medical flight to pick her up tomorrow and take her back to the states to a hospital there. Medical Flights have been quoted $45,000. My family is doing what they can to come up with the money but this is not something everybody has laying around. I ask that if anyone can donate any amount that it is more than appreciated right now.”
As of Monday, March 24, $25,000 of its $55,000 goal has been raised to help bring Stockard home.