Autumn Carver, back left, with her husband, Zach, and daughters, Sadie, front left, and Harlow, middle. Carver was diagnosed with COVID-19 in mid-August, and is still struggling to recover from the disease. A fundraiser will be held for the family on Oct. 30 at Kelsay Farms. Submitted photo.
The past two months have been nothing but a nightmare for a local family ravaged by COVID-19.
Autumn Carver was diagnosed with the disease in August, when she was seven months pregnant. Her health deteriorated, requiring an emergency C-section before she was hooked to a heart-lung machine to keep her weary body alive. She spent weeks in a coma, and though she has shown signs of improvement, still faces a long recovery and overbearing medical costs.
But in their darkest moments, the community has repeatedly rallied to support the Carver family.
They’ll have another opportunity to do so on Saturday, bouncing and hopping to raise much needed money. A Healing for Autumn’s Birthday is a benefit event scheduled from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday — Carver’s 35th birthday.
“I’m very thankful to be able to help raise money for them during this very difficult time. I have felt helpless and wanted to do something, so this has been amazing to put together,” said Lindsay Clarkson, Autumn’s close friend and organizer of the event. “I can’t wait to see everyone on Saturday and celebrate Autumn’s birthday.”
People can form teams and take part in a 12-hour jump-a-thon, enter the Halloween costume contest, bid in the silent auction and generally enjoy the festivities at Kelsay Farms in Whiteland.
“We love them dearly, we love the family so much. They’re just such tremendous people. When the community gets behind folks, it really means something,” said Amy Kelsay, whose family owns Kelsay Farms. “I want this day to be such a blessing to them, to show them that we’re here praying for them every day.”
Carver, a southside Indianapolis resident, and her husband Zach were expecting the birth of their third child when they were diagnosed with COVID-19. She was admitted to the hospital on Aug. 25 as her lungs struggled and oxygen levels dropped. Doctors scheduled an emergency C-section to deliver their son, Huxley, who is healthy and doing well.
Immediately after surgery, Carver was treated with extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, or ECMO. Blood is pumped outside the body to a heart-lung machine that removes carbon dioxide and sends oxygen-filled, rewarmed blood back to tissues in the body. The method allows the blood to “bypass” the heart and lungs so the organs can rest and heal.
Doctors had to sedate her so her body wouldn’t fight the ECMO machine. She developed pneumonia and pulmonary edema — excess fluid in the lungs.
But around the end of September, Carver’s condition started to improve. She was taken off paralytic medication, slowly regaining strength. She went through physical and occupational therapy, regaining the ability to move her extremities. On Oct. 19, she was able to meet Huxley for the first time.
Because the damage to her lungs is so intense, Carver was transferred on Sunday to Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago, where they’ll be better positioned in case she needs a lung transplant.
Throughout the ordeal, her loved ones have tried to support the family any way they can. Prayers and words of encouragement have been constant. People have sold t-shirts to raise money, and a GoFundMe set up for Carver has raised $51,500 as of Tuesday.
Clarkson, who created the A Healing for Autumn Facebook page to raise awareness of what Carver was going through, felt compelled to do whatever she could to help the family. She and Carver have been best friends since the girls were in middle school.
They lived just down the street from one another as kids, and have grown up together, maintaining a close bond.
“Our kids grew up together, and our girls are the same age, so it’s really special to be able to do something for them,” Clarkson said.
The Kelsays have a long connection with Zach and Autumn Carver, as well. They attended the same church and were all very active in 4-H together. Zach Carver’s brother worked at the farm for years, and his cousin and aunt have been part of the farm activities as well.
“We knew the struggles their family was having, and that she was still hospitalized. We thought about what we could do to help,” Kelsay said.
She reached out to Clarkson to discuss ways they could contribute. The talks turned to hosting a fundraiser at the farm.
“We have this jump pad, so I asked about doing a jump-a-thon, where people pledged money and teams could come and jump,” Kelsay said. “It was a way to help others feel like they’re doing something.”
The jump-a-thon, held on Kelsay Farms’ massive bounce pad, will feature teams that will rotate participants over the course of 12 hours. Those teams have paid $250 to take part, while pledging another $750 for a total donation of $1,000.
A DJ will spin the tunes to keep the energy level high. Teams are encouraged to wear matching shirts, or even get in the spooky spirit with themed Halloween costumes.
“Autumn’s birthday just happens to be on Saturday, which is always a busy day for us, so we thought this would be perfect,” Kelsay said.
Local businesses have pledged prizes for the silent auction, which will also be online and start on Thursday, with a link on the A Healing for Autumn Facebook page.
Special food items, such as an autumn breakfast provided by Kelsay Farms, will help raise additional money. Contributions will be accepted the day of the event, and people can also send donations to PayPal at [email protected].
