After suffering a near-death accident, the strength of love won over pain.
By A. Kay Oxendine
For the last two years, I have been the designer and layout artist for my annual pow-wow booklet. I work on it for about a month, and near the end, I go into what many publishers have called “warrior mode.” I close off all communication, I don’t answer the phone, I don’t post on Facebook and I just hone in on the project at hand.
This is where I was last year on March 30. Our program was due to the printer on April 4, 2017 – I was knee deep in editing and ad placement.
Even though I was oblivious to the outside world, I kept getting notifications from Facebook. It became annoying, so I finally took a break to see what the notifications were about. I saw where one of my dear friend’s daughters was asking for prayer for her sister. This was not news to me. The Richardson sisters always asked for prayers for each other and their family. They are very close. So I stayed in my writing cocoon for another day.
On March 31, 2017, I finally put everything away and prepared for bed (yes, I did pull an all-nighter). I sat in bed, reviewing messages and updated Facebook posts. I saw much activity on the same daughter’s page, so I began doing research. This is when I found out that two of the four Richardson sisters were involved in a pretty horrific car accident on their way home from Radford University, where they both attended. Reading this, I immediately called and left a message that I just got the news and I was praying.
This family has been part of my world for over 30 years. Dona’s father, Al Winston, has been an Indian Activist with the best of them way before many of us ever knew what being an activist was. He marched for us, lectured for us. He married his wife, Maxine, from the Meherrin tribe, and together, they had 3 children: Greg, Aaron and Dona. Al and Maxine raised their children always knowing about their culture, encouraging them to stay with their Native community. Dona followed this rule when she began dating, and she fell in love with Purnell Richardson from my tribe, the Haliwa-Saponi Indian Tribe. 
Although their marriage only lasted a few years, it was long enough to produce 4 beautiful girls. The girls, Malina, Maya, Alayna and Alycia all grew up on the trail. They all danced either jingle or fancy. Dona also taught them how to make their own regalias and their beadwork, along with their accessories. And the girls, like their mother, are all athletic. All have been running since they have been in grade school. They are all champion runners, breaking records for each school or organization they represented. Even with all of this, the girls have remained humble and very strong in their faith.
It took a few hours before Dona was able to get through to me. When she did, she told me this story.
From Dona:
“Malina and Maya were involved in an accident. Malina was driving Maya home on 64 E from college, so that she could get to her heart doctor’s appointment the next day. I was on the phone with the girls, Alycia was with me in the car and we were driving down the road. We were all on speaker phone – all giggling together, you know? Then I hear Malina ask what is that truck doing? Maya said I don’t know. Then I heard a loud noise, I heard screaming. I immediately told Alycia to call 911. I could hear all this noise, the screaming – like things shifting. I then heard a loud bang. I am screaming at them to say something. I am telling them I am calling 911. I am telling them I am on my way. Then I hear gurgling. I thought – ok – at least I can hear them. I was shouting hang on girls, I am on my way. The ambulance has been called. Hold on. Then it got dead silent. That was when I panicked.”
I am sitting on the other end of the phone, tears running down my face, trying to comprehend the pure hell my friend and her daughters have just gone through. I got off the phone and over time, I pieced together what happened.
The 18-wheeler that hit the Richardson girls that night never stopped. To this day, they still have no idea who it was or why they did not stop. When the truck came into their lane, Malina noticed that he was coming closer to Maya’s side of the car, so she jerked the wheel, making her side take the impact. This move sent the car racing up an embankment, up a slight hill, and then airborne. The car landed at the tops of some pine trees, and there it rested for just a minute. When it came to rest there, Maya, seeing that her sister was in her seatbelt, undid her own seat belt and pulled her sister Maya into her lap. 
A moment after doing that, the car fell from the tree and hit the ground. The impact threw Maya into the back seat and Malina out the back window. Both girls were knocked out for a few minutes. This was when Dona was screaming because the silence was deafening. Maya came to – and realized that Malina was no longer in the car. She pried open her door and sought out her sister. Malina was thrown underneath the car. Without hesitation, Maya literally lifted the vehicle off of Malina, and drug her to safety. Maya noticed that Malina’s face had a liquid on it, so she grabbed her shirt and began wiping her sister’s face and eyes. The liquid that was on her face was transmission oil. By the time Maya had pulled Malina to safety, the ambulance was there.
Dona was in contact with the medical team and they instructed her to turn around and meet them at the VCU medical center in Richmond.
Malina was rushed to VCU, with critical burns, multiple fractures and internal injuries. In 
addition to the second and third-degree burns on her face and body, she suffered a punctured lung, a fractured left cheek and three fractured ribs. There was also abdominal bleeding and other injuries. At the time of the accident, Maya only suffered minor injuries and a broken toe.
Through all of this, Dona and her family remained faithful. They asked for prayer circles all over the world, especially after the trauma team at the hospital had informed the family to be prepared for anything.
Malina remained in the hospital for one month, enduring excruciating and intense therapy.
Since the accident, the family has witnessed many miracles with Malina. She has been receiving laser treatments to help the burns on her face, and not only has she been able to walk again, but in the last few months, began running again.
Maya however, did not show signs of trauma until she saw that her big sister was going to be ok. Then her body “released.”
I was the MC at the Upper Mattaponi pow-wow over Memorial Day weekend last year. The Richardson family came out – this was their first pow-wow since the accident. Maya decided that she would like to jingle dress dance for sister. A blanket dance was taken up for the family, where several hundred dollars were collected. Malina was able to wear a floppy hat and enjoy the day. I asked her to come sit beside me at the MC table.
While Maya was dancing, however, she became overcome with heat and fell crashing to the ground. Malina jumped up from her chair and ran into the circle to her sister, meeting her Mom there by a second. Maya had fallen completely out! The medics were called to come check on her, and we all watched as they stripped her beloved jingle dress off of her, cut her leggings, take out her eagle plumes and put bags of ice on her entire body. After about a half hour of this medical attention, the ambulance took her away from the pow-wow grounds, but allowed the family just to go home and rest.
Dona knew that her daughter was battling with a heart issue, but felt there was something else happening. Because so much attention had been placed on Malina’s survival, it was almost like Maya had been in shock, and that her injuries were frozen.
Later that summer, the family came again to a pow-wow where I was the at the Nansemond powwow in Suffolk, VA. The family came out and again a blanket dance was taken up for the family. The head dancer, Sierra ShiningStar Locklear, was offering a jingle dress special. Maya again wanted to dance for her sister. This time her family discouraged her, but to no avail. Maya danced and she danced mightily. Then, in a second, she fell to the ground just like she had before. This time, it seemed way more serious. She did not seem to be revived immediately. As MC, I know it is my job to keep the powwow going, but all I could do was bow my head and pray. I got on the mic and asked for more prayers, as the medics ran from all over the grounds to the circle. This time, they did carry Maya off the grounds and to the hospital.
It took several months, several doctor’s visits, many more fainting episodes and many tears before it was discovered that Maya suffered from Chiari Malformation, meaning liquid on the spine.
From the Malina and Maya Facebook page in October 2017:
Based on the CT and her MRI from weeks ago, we will now travel to Great Neck, NY to the Chiari Institute of the Neuroscience for treatment in the upcoming weeks. We will resume treatment at the Heart Institute in December. Dr. Abdallah was able to prescribe a medication that is helping her with her pain as of right now. Prayer Request: God will heal her POTS, Nervous system, multiple heart beats, syntax in her spine, Chiari Malformation, EDS….Yes we need a miracle.
In November, 2017, Maya was seen by a specialist for her condition. He was listed as the best and actually the only one to handle the tests, to give the most accurate determination of her condition.
From the Maya and Malina Facebook Page:
At this point the Doctor is looking at Basilar Impression. First Maya will be fitted with a neck brace and we are fighting with the Insurance company again for a Specific type of MRI of the neck. After those two things Dr. Rekate would like to perform surgery. This surgery is extremely intense and requires a lot of thought and prayer.
Fast forward to this year.
I was contacted by the family last week. The surgery that is being suggested for Maya is not only very expensive, but offers no guarantees to better the quality of her life. It ensues actually detaching the bones that are causing the compression, and then stabilizing the skull on the spine, using spinal screws and apparatus. The risk is that Maya is not guaranteed to walk again, nor is she guaranteed to survive. Also because the spine and skull will be stabilized, they are not sure that her body will accept the screws in her body.
Because of this uncertainty, Dona and her family are researching more homeopathic means of healing. In doing so, a vapor breathing machine has been discovered that actually relieves Maya’s migraines and severe pains. As a bonus, it also helps Malina with her burns. The cost of this machine is over $6,000.00.
In April 2017, I was asked to begin a fundraiser for the family, which I was honored to do. I built a GoFundMe page for them, making sure all monies went directly to the family. With the phone call from last week, I have updated the page.
Unless you have been through such tragedy, you cannot imagine the emotional, physical and financial toll such life events take on your family. The doctor’s visits, the tests, the medicine, the travel – it all adds up.
Even through such changes, Malina was able to graduate college in May. Her medics 
actually came to her home in Ashland and transported her to Radford to receive her degree. They took her to the stage, where she actually was able to get up and walk across the stage. Maya returned to Radford to continue her college education, and even though her pain keeps her from many things, she still perseveres. The two younger girls are also exceling through this family change. Alayna has been accepted at University of South Carolina Beaufort, where she received a scholarship for her running. The baby girl, Alycia, is breaking records to finish out her high school career at Patrick Henry High School in Ashland, VA. She will graduate high school in Spring 2018.
And in the midst of all of the chaos, their mother Dona, who has been a single Mom for most of the girls lives, found love again in her soulmate Charles Craft. In front of a few friends and family in August 2017, she married Charles, who never left her side through all of the girl’s life changing events. The Richardson girls are proud to have Charles as their stepfather.
There are still many obstacles this family will still face. Right now, we are still praying for miracles. If anyone finds it in their hearts to help this family you can follow them on their Facebook page. If anyone would like to offer monetary contributions, please go here.
