A Parent's Worst Nightmare and How You Can Share a Video Message

As the mom of two teen drivers, my prayers are with this Monmouth County family after their 21-year old daughter was in a tragic accident on Rt. 18 in Marlboro this past Tuesday.

You may have heard or read about the victim, Ceilie Reynolds, who was severely injured. How did this accident happen? Could it have been a deer darting in her path? And what condition was she left in?

There are no answers yet as to what caused the accident. What we do know is that on the evening of Sept. 9th, Ceilie's car flew off the exit ramp of Rt. 18 and slammed into a concrete overpass beam at full speed. She was airlifted to Robert Wood Johnson.

The front part of her skull was shattered, she suffered a collapsed lung, broke multiple bones, and has damage to her ocular nerve (which they are worried could lead to the loss of sight).

After a few scary hours the hospital staff was able to stabilize Ceilie so that she could be airlifted (again) to Pennsylvania Presbyterian for surgery to remove the shards of skull that were stabbing into her brain.

Ceilie has a long road ahead and will require extensive care. She is heavily sedated but has squeezed the hands of her family members during neuro tests and given a thumbs-up a few times.

Today's update is that Ceilie was super responsive when she got Facetime calls from those she loves -- teasing her really got a strong response. She has surgery tomorrow and her family and friends think it would be great if there were some video messages telling her how awesome she is and maybe for those who know her to share a nice memory or say something to bring a smile to her face.

Video your message and email it to: ceiliestrong1@gmail.com.

In the message line be sure to give the family your full name and maybe even whatever funny nickname she might know you by. They will take care of the rest.

As we keep her in our thoughts while praying she is able to heal from the sheer devastation of her injuries, and as we raise money to support her during this most difficult time, I asked her cousin to tell us a little about Ceilie so that I can share with you what a wonderful young woman she is.

Ceilie lives in Eatontown with her 16-year old brother and her parents. Her father, Kevin, was a 911 first responder and is a retired NYPD detective. Her mom, Stephanie, is a doctor at Riverview Medical Center (Hackensack Meridian Health).

Ceilie attended Fairfield University for her Freshman year before deciding to pursue her love of diving. She traveled to Honduras to learn and master diving instruction. This past spring she decided to return home to continue her education at Brookdale Community College. Her accident occurred right at the start of her fall semester.

Ceilie also has a strong passion for giving back to others. She has helped organize and volunteer at Mission Africa (where she spent two weeks teaching children to swim), Beauty Foundation, Team Fighting Irish and she has helped assemble baskets every year for Thanksgiving to deliver to those in need.

Please keep Ceilie in your prayers and, if you can, contribute any donation (even if it is a small one) to help offset the medical expenses. CLICK HERE to do that.

Our best wishes and love are with you for a complete recovery, Ceilie.

And, as Ceilie would say, "We got this."