On Thursday, November 12, 2020 (two weeks before Thanksgiving) at approximately 4:30 pm, Lyndsey Burrow, a freshman softball student-athlete at Harding University in Searcy, Arkansas, was involved in a serious automobile accident.
A delivery truck driver operating an 18-wheeler abruptly turned in front of her cutting her off and leading to the accident where Lyndsey sustained multiple injuries including a lacerated colon, broken jaw and broken pelvis.
The most severe of her injuries, however, was to her head; Lyndsey suffered a traumatic brain injury and has been unconscious since the accident occurred. She is being cared for by the hospital staff at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS).
Ten days after the accident, Harding Softball tweeted:
Keep praying – update from @lyndseyburrow ‘s family: “One week after the accident, Lyndsey continues to battle for her life. She remains in very critical condition with severe head trauma at UAMS Medical Center in Little Rock Arkansas. Please continue to keep her in your prayers”
— Harding Softball (@Harding_SB) November 22, 2020
Soon, others joined in:
Moment of silence for our sister at @Harding_SB. Please keep her and her family in your thoughts and prayers during this difficult time. pic.twitter.com/vUsUJdlS7J
— Lamar Softball (@LamarSoftball) November 14, 2020
Lyndsey is from Brentwood, California, where she was a star varsity softball athlete at Heritage High School, graduating in 2020. She played competitive travel softball for the All American Sports Academy Merrida – 18U team coached by Bryan Merrida.
Her drive and passion for softball led her to an offer and commitment to play college softball at Harding from Coach Phil Berry. She signed with the Bisons in the spring of 2020 after committing in the Summer of 2019:
https://twitter.com/lyndseyburrow/status/1144254956481974272
Don and Cheryl Burrow, her loving parents who equally shared in her passion for softball, have supported her through her journey, so much that they decided to move from California to Arkansas to be closer to her.
“The love and of support for Lyndsey and her recovery has been amazing,” says Mike Maglalang, a long-time family friend and high school softball coach at Mira Loma High in Sacramento. “The thoughts and prayers have been overflowing. She continues to battle, but unfortunately still remains in a coma. She receives round the clock care from the hospital staff at UAMS, while Don and Cheryl have been at her side for as much as the hospital allows, sometimes up to 10-plus hours a day.”
Maglalang created a GoFundMe campaign “to help the Burrow family with expenses that people often don’t realize accumulate. Even with a good medical health plan, treatment costs are not fully covered and long-term care costs are daunting.”
Click HERE to access the GoFundMe page
He says that Lyndsey will remain in the hospital in recovery for several months, and will require ongoing treatment and therapy once she leaves the hospital.
“We still do not know what any of this will look like, but we can be sure that the family’s lives will never be the same,” he adds.
The athlete’s parents are also in the process of moving from California to Arkansas and there is the added burden of having to travel back and forth while packing up and sending items from their West Coast home.
“The funds raised will help offset these expenses, going directly to help pay for medical (current and future) and miscellaneous travel expenses,” says Maglalang. “They will also help in reducing financial stress so that Don and Cheryl can remain focused on Lyndsey’s recovery.”
The 2020 grad was an All-League outfielder and batted .455 her last two seasons of prep ball. Lyndsey was named Athlete of the Week at Heritage High School, located about an hour east of San Francisco, in March of 2020.
“I have known Don and Cheryl for many years now, and the softball world, while perceived as ultra-competitive, is a small circle and we often end up becoming a close-knit group,” Coach Maglalang adds.
“Traveling to and from the same tournaments year after year, we all get to know each other. The Burrows are a loving, caring family and this an unspeakable tragedy. I wanted to help them in some small way in addition to the outpouring of thoughts and prayers.”
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In this week after Thanksgiving and as we head into the Christmas/Holiday Season, we ask the softball community to keep Lyndsey in thoughts and prayers and, if possible, consider making a donation to her GoFundMe page. We promise it will bring you great Christmas karma and goodwill!
