Peggy Blume has had six surgeries since May crash that killed passenger in other vehicle.
View full sizePeggy Blume outside her home in Bridgeport. A fundraiser to help Blume, a mother of three who was hurt badly in accident with a teen driver, is scheduled from noon to 5 p.m. Saturday at the Bridgeport Firemen's Field on Route 31 in Bridgeport.Bridgeport, NY - Ten days after a drunk driver rammed head-on into her minivan, Peggy Blume woke up in a hospital bed with her husband by her side.
She had a skull fracture, breaks to her left arm, left knee, both legs, her pelvis and spine, as well as torn ligaments in her right knee and a shattered right ankle and heel.
Peggy turned to her husband of 17 years and asked what had happened.
Steve Blume explained that she had been in an accident.
Peggy Blume, a Bridgeport mother of three, was driving to her job as a receptionist at Stonehedge Nursing Home in Chittenango about 2:55 p.m. May 24 when she saw an oncoming sport utility vehicle passing a vehicle ahead of her. Blume pulled her minivan onto the shoulder of the road and stopped to try to avoid a collision.
But the SUV driven by 17-year-old Chelsea Kuss slammed head-on into Blume’s vehicle, injuring Blume, and killing Kuss’ 17-year-old passenger, Victoria Deverso, a Liverpool High School student, according to state police.
Blood tests later revealed Kuss had a blood-alcohol content of 0.13 percent at the time of the crash, according to the Madison County District Attorney’s Office.
Peggy Blume, who turned 38 last month, is focusing her energy on getting better — not “wasting energy on anger” — so that she can walk again, go to parent-teacher conferences again and not have to rely on others to cook meals, shower, go to the bathroom and put her clothes on.
“I can’t bear any weight on my legs,” she said. “I sleep in a hospital bed, but I can get back and forth in a wheelchair. I can’t work. I can’t attend classes. I can’t get in the car and drive. I’ve had to rely on people to do everything for me.”
Blume said she had five surgeries in the first few weeks she was at Upstate University Hospital. On June 11, she went to Community General Hospital for acute rehabilitation. Blume said she stayed there until the end of July. She then went home for a week before returning to University Hospital for a sixth surgery.
“I’m doing pretty good,” she said this week. “There’s good days and bad days.”
Blume said she doesn’t remember anything from the accident, but maybe it’s better that way.
The morning of the crash, Blume had attended three classes at Bryant & Stratton, where she is pursuing a degree in medical administrative assisting so she can do coding and billing. She had to withdraw from her second semester of classes in the spring, but Blume said she is now taking two online classes.
“She’s a strong person and she’s very devoted to her family,” said her sister-in-law, Kathy Blume.
Peggy Blume said her family and friends have been there for her every step of the way.
Volunteers and family members are widening doors and adding a ramp to make her home handicapped accessible. The renovations began in July and are expected to be completed by mid-October, Kathy Blume said. In the meantime, Peggy, Steve and their three children, Craig, 14, a ninth grader at North Syracuse Junior-High School; Samantha, 12, a seventh grader at Gillette Road Middle School; and Sean, 8, a third-grader at Lakeshore Road Elementary School, are living with Kathy Blume a few streets away in their Bridgeport neighborhood.
Kathy Blume also is organizing a fundraiser Saturday afternoon at the Bridgeport Firemen’s Field with help from friends and family. There will be food, entertainment, a silent auction and raffles.
Three bands are set to perform. There also will be face painting, games, Mega Bubble Man and a singer named Mr. Mike for children. Kathy Blume described the fundraiser as family-friendly and said no alcohol will be served.
The money raised will help Peggy Blume and her family with living expenses, renovations on their house and medical expenses, Peggy Blume said. Blume said she has medical insurance, but there are a lot of things that are not covered by insurance. She also said she can’t work to bring in a second income; her husband, Steve, is a training manager at Byrne Dairy on Oneida Street in Syracuse.
Four one-day passes to Disney World, sports memorabilia — including a laser signature football from the Jets’ team and a laser signature from Buffalo Bills running back No. 22 Fred Jackson — are among the items to be auctioned off. There also are gift baskets, overnight hotel accommodations, restaurant gift certificates and a raffle for a hot air balloon ride for two.
About 150 pre-sale tickets have already been purchased, Kathy Blume said. She’s hoping at least 300 people attend the fundraiser. Kathy Blume also said she hopes Peggy can make it to the event too.
“Her spirits are very good,” Kathy Blume said of her sister-in-law. “Her focus is her family — her children and her husband. Her short-term goal is to be well enough to go to parent-teacher conferences and school functions. We’re just taking it day by day. A long-term goal is to be up and walking. But we have to focus on smaller goals, otherwise it’s overwhelming.”
Catie O’Toole can be reached at cotoole@syracuse.com or 470-2134.