ST. GEORGE — The Washington County community is rallying around Crue “Tuff” Cash, who was hit by a car earlier this month and is still recovering from critical injuries.
4-year-old Cash was riding his bike in the roadway on 180 North in Hurricane when a silver Kia Soul struck him. The 59-year-old driver’s vision was reportedly obscured by the setting sun.
The boy was flown by Life Flight to Las Vegas after an initial transport to St. George Regional Hospital. Cash’s grandmother Shelley Nakaoka told St. George News that the first 36 hours were “horrible,” and medical staff did not initially believe the boy would survive.
“Pretty much the first words out of their mouth was, ‘He’s not gonna make it,'” she recalled. “‘His chest and lung area, (and his) heart are just crushed.'”
By Friday morning, Cash was put on a respirator at full oxygen, but Nakaoka said the treatment was short-lived due to concerns that it could cause his lungs to burst. While he was given a 10% chance of surviving the trip, his family was told a transfer to Primary Children’s Hospital in Salt Lake City was their “only option.”
“Luckily, he made it,” she said.
Cash, who Nakaoka described as a “fighter,” is still unconscious, but makes daily progress, functions independently after life support was removed and has squeezed family members’ hands. While she hopes he will regain consciousness by Friday, much is still unknown about his condition, and he faces a long road to recovery.
Still, with Cash’s “incredible progress,” his family can sleep after a series of restless nights, Nakaoka said. The boy is her youngest grandson, is always on the go and loves to sing and dance.
“He’s the one that makes us laugh the most in the family because we just never know what he’s gonna do,” she said.
The “very energetic” Cash is known by those who love him as “Crue Tuff” because he “bounces right back up” despite “falling down a lot,” Nakaoka said.
For instance, he broke his arm after tumbling from a bunk bed and “never complained once.”
While the family feels overwhelmed by the experience and the total cost of Cash’s treatment is still unknown, Nakaoka said that she’s “amazed” by the number of people praying, sending thoughts or donating.
“It’s a pretty good feeling … it just goes to show you that there’s so many good people out there,” she said.
As of Wednesday, the “Medical Expenses for Crue Cash” GoFundMe has raised over $14,400 with 182 donations since its creation on April 7.
Nakaoka also encourages the community to “continue the prayers and healing thoughts — they are helping.”
Raising funds
Caitlin Connell also has collaborated with Cash’s family to plan a fundraising event on April 30 at her business, Bare Esthetics Studio, beginning at 10 a.m.
The idea occurred to Connell after Cash’s mother Kady Hill explained the situation while the family drove to Las Vegas. The two women became close after Hill began working at Bare Esthetics, she said.
Connell said she was “just sick about it” and needed to do something. So, she contacted other women who work at Bare Esthetics, who agreed to help throw the fundraiser.
Initially planned as a car wash, the event has grown to include a bake sale, vendors and a silent auction with donations from individuals and businesses from across Washington County.
The auction’s offerings will include photography, tattoos, massages, dog grooming and hot air balloon rides, according to a Facebook post posted by Connell.
“The outpouring of love has been incredible,” she said.
Connell had asked for donations for the auction on the St. George Word of Mouth Facebook group and received over 100 messages within 20 minutes, she said, adding that she still hasn’t been able to respond to them all.
“Here I was thinking that I was just going to do a little car wash and hopefully make a few hundred bucks, and it’s turned into this,” she said. “And it’s been crazy and very, very humbling. … Unfortunately, it takes something like this to happen for us to realize — like, we really do live in a great community.
“And it’s so easy to fall into the negativity and all the bad things happening in the world. But really, there’s so much good right at our fingertips.”
Connell said the women at Bare Esthetics have been a “tremendous help,” covering Hill’s clients and planning the fundraiser. And that she is “so grateful” to the community.
“There’s no way I could do this by myself,” she said.
Coral Canyon Elementary School also is hosting a fundraiser for Cash, Nakaoka said. The event’s details are still being determined, but those interested in attending can watch Facebook for information from the school.
Additionally, parents, guardians and staff can watch the Coral Canyon Elementary PTA Facebook group; however, posts can only be seen by members.
Connell will post event updates to the Crue Tuff Fundraiser Facebook page.
Crue Tuff Fundraiser details
- What: Fundraiser for Crue Cash
- When: April 30, beginning at 10 a.m.
- Where: The Bare Esthetics studio at 334 W. Tabernacle Street in St. George
Photo Gallery
Crue "Tuff" Cash was hit by a car earlier this month. As he recovers in the hospital, a friend of his mother's planned a fundraiser for his family, date and location unspecified | Photo courtesy of Kady Hill, St. George News Crue "Tuff" Cash was hit by a car earlier this month. As he recovers in the hospital, a friend of his mother's planned a fundraiser for his family, date and location unspecified | Photo courtesy of Kady Hill, St. George News Crue "Tuff" Cash was hit by a car earlier this month. As he recovers in the hospital, a friend of his mother's planned a fundraiser for his family, date and location unspecified | Photo courtesy of Kady Hill, St. George News Crue "Tuff" Cash was hit by a car earlier this month. As he recovers in the hospital, a friend of his mother's planned a fundraiser for his family, date and location unspecified | Photo courtesy of Kady Hill, St. George News Crue "Tuff" Cash was hit by a car earlier this month. As he recovers in the hospital, a friend of his mother's planned a fundraiser for his family, date and location unspecified | Photo courtesy of Kady Hill, St. George News Crue "Tuff" Cash was hit by a car earlier this month. As he recovers in the hospital, a friend of his mother's planned a fundraiser for his family, date and location unspecified | Photo courtesy of Kady Hill, St. George News Crue "Tuff" Cash was hit by a car earlier this month. As he recovers in the hospital, a friend of his mother's planned a fundraiser for his family, date and location unspecified | Photo courtesy of Kady Hill, St. George News Crue "Tuff" Cash was hit by a car earlier this month. As he recovers in the hospital, a friend of his mother's planned a fundraiser for his family, date and location unspecified | Photo courtesy of Kady Hill, St. George News
Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2023, all rights reserved.