BOISE BENCH, Idaho — When Clementine Thompson was diagnosed with a spinal cord injury in 2021, life for the entire family changed in an instant. The unexpected medical emergency left their daughter paralyzed, and the Boise Bench family stayed in hospitals across the country.
"Through that, we had a pretty long hospital stay," Scott Thompson, Clementine’s father, said. "My wife essentially stopped working to take care of our daughter."
WATCH | How Clemy’s Crew offers financial help to families in medical crises—
The family was flown to Seattle for treatment, facing costs insurance wouldn't cover.
"My wife went. Insurance doesn't cover your flight, so you're in this impossible situation," Thompson said.
Thompson said global support kept them going, with people on six separate continents offering help during their darkest moments.
"My son and I had to follow the next day. We would never have made it. I didn't think I'd see her alive on the day that she flew out of Idaho," Thompson said. "Being able to get there and see her smile was one of the greatest moments of my life."
Inspired by that community response, the family created Clemy's Crew, a nonprofit that provides quick, low-barrier financial help for families in the middle of a medical crisis.
"My goal is to fund them within 48 hours. We're going to get them some short-term help," Thompson said. "There's quite a bit of research that shows that when parents have better mental health outcomes, then that actually improves patient outcomes as well."
In the past year, they've helped 30 Idaho families navigate medical emergencies.
With upcoming Medicaid cuts included in recent legislation that could leave even more families without coverage, Clemy's Crew is in even greater need.
"When they really have an immediate need in the short term, they're still trying to survive," Thompson said. "We just want to give them support at that time so that they can kind of ease through the process."
Thompson hopes to give families the same gift they received when they needed it most.
"Those messages of hope, those messages of support...it still keeps me going," Thompson said. "I just hope that that happens for some of these people…giving them one little glimpse of hope that they can hold onto."
Clemy's Crew is hosting a benefit concert at Treefort Music Hall on November 29th at 5 p.m.. General admission tickets can be found here.
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