Food influencer Nathan Aguilera is on the road to recovery after suffering severe injuries as the result of a hit-and-run accident.
Aguilera, known online as @foodieflashpacker, was walking back from dinner with friends when he was hit by a car in May. Aguilera claimed his wallet was stolen during the incident in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.
“Some local people came together and started being like, ‘We need an ambulance! We need an ambulance!’” he recalled to Oklahoma outlet Kfor. “Some people saw that happen and thought, ‘This is a great time to go rob that guy, he doesn’t have enough going on.’”
Aguilera alleged he was initially denied care from a nearby hospital before being sent to a public one, where he was diagnosed with a brain bleed and a cracked skull. He was then sent home. Days later, Aguilera underwent emergency brain surgery.
“After they removed the skull, you could see on the CT Scan the swelling outside of the skull,” friend Miranda Augusta recalled to the outlet.
Before his final surgery to reattach his skull — which is being shipped from Puerto Vallarta to Merida, Mexico, Aguilera will undergo additional therapy. Aguilera will also receive a year of rehab after the surgery.
Aguilera’s loved ones have since set up a GoFundMe to raise funds for his various medical expenses — including caregiver support and long-term rehabilitation — which has amassed more than $28,000 of the $50,000 goal.
While his friends and family are encouraged by his progress, they reminded his followers that he still has a long road ahead of him that will “take many months, even years” with physical, speech and occupational therapies.
Courtesy of Nelson Thomas/Instagram Nelson Thomas is facing a serious setback on his ankle after severely injuring it in a car accident earlier this year. “I received the most disheartening news about my ankle,” the Challenge alum captioned the emotional video he shared via Instagram on Friday, September 29. In the clip, Thomas explained he […]
“My concern is that, while it’s important to share hopeful and positive moments, we must not gloss over the seriousness of what lies ahead. If people start thinking, ‘He’s better,’ they may stop caring,” the message read. “That would be devastating, because he’s not 100 percent better—he’s just begun a very long and difficult recovery process (while simultaneously surprising all of us during his healing journey).”
The GoFundMe continued, “We have to stay engaged and remain aware of the full picture: Nathan still faces major hurdles, including another major surgery, a medical transport, and without continued support, his access to proper rehabilitation could be at risk. We owe it to Nathan — and to everyone who wants to help — to be transparent, clear, and honest about what recovery really looks like.”
