Concert Saturday to benefit 11-year-old struck by car

On Sunday, Victoria Martin posted a message on CaringBridge.org describing how much she missed her younger sister, 11-year-old Rebecca Martin who's been hospitalized in Southern California for more than two weeks since being hit by a car.

"Every time I think about her I cry, like right now I can hardly see through my tears, and being away from her is just really hard. I miss her with all of my heart, and I really want to see her recovered, smiling, singing and acting, and just being my little sister again," Victoria wrote. "I pray for her all the time and I would really appreciate it if everyone could just pray for her and have happy, positive thoughts. I know that God is watching over her, and that things are going to be all right."

Victoria, 14, visited her sister on Saturday before flying back to the Valley for school.

"She was doing better than last time I saw her," Victoria wrote. "Her eyes were a little more opened which is good, but she still wasn't responding. They put her in a teal gown which was very cute, and they braided her hair. They put an adorable little stuffed animal in her hand and now, her room is decorated very pretty. Before it was just plain white walls and nothing was really in the room. Now there are all the cards everyone has been sending her on the walls, her stuffed animals and gifts are all in her room. Oh! And how could I forget, there are some Jonas Brothers posters on the wall ... her room is very Becca-ish now. I love it."

On Aug. 13, while visiting her grandmother in Southern California, Rebecca was crossing the street, in a crosswalk, when she was struck by a car going more than 30 miles per hour. She was thrown 15-20 feet in the air and landed on the hood of the vehicle. She was later transported to the University of Southern California Medical Center, where she remains in stable condition with a fractured pelvis, bruised lungs and a brain injury.

"It has been decided to give Becca a couple of more days on the breathing tube," mother Sabrina Martin reported on the Caring Bridge Web site on Monday. "Their concern now is not that she does not have enough airway for breathing, but of swallowing the saliva in her mouth, once off it. She has to be able to swallow that. They will re-evaluate her before Thursday. If not, they will schedule a tracheotomy for Thursday."

Martin also wrote that Rebecca, her "little spitfire," may be taken off sedation this week.

"After she is off of everything, it is just a waiting game for her to wake up," she said.

In another post, Martin expressed the pain of seeing a child hurt.

"The pain of seeing your child so helpless, and there is nothing that we can do to make it better, is simply unbearable," she wrote. "No parent should have to see their child this way. No child should ever have to suffer, regardless if it was from an accident, cancer or any other horrible situation.

"We continue to believe that God will restore our little girl."

The Martin family has found strength not only in God, but in the more than 14,000 people who have visited Rebecca's Web site, and the more than 800 visitors who have signed the 11-year-old's guest book.

"We so appreciate all the support we are getting from family, friends and people we have never met," Sabrina and Shane Martin wrote. "Reading all the guest book entries has helped more than you will ever know. God bless you all. Sleep tight and keep Becca in your thoughts and prayers."

Active in the arts, Rebecca most recently performed in "Godspell" and has appeared in other plays, including the BAC Stage Kids production of "Snow White."

A benefit concert, "Becca Shines," is scheduled for 7 p.m. Saturday at Pau-Wa-Lu Middle School, 701 Long Valley Road in Gardnerville. The event is sponsored by Theater of Arts Discipline and the Carson Valley Arts Council. Tickets may be purchased for $15 at the arts council's office in the Copeland Building in Minden, purchased online at cvartscouncil.com/events, or purchased at the door (cash or checks only). 

The evening will also include raffles and a silent auction. Items include dinners to local restaurants, scenic flights, a one-week stay at a vacation home, framed artwork and a round of golf, among other things. All items are donated, and 100 percent of the proceeds will go to the Martin family to help with Rebecca's recovery. For more information or to make a donation, contact Kris Garrett at toadinc@gmail.com.

To follow Rebecca's progress, visit http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/rebeccamartinupdate.

Monetary donations may be made to Nevada State Bank Account No. 0598016426 in the name of Sabrina or Rebecca Martin. Another fundraiser is set for 4-8 p.m. Sept. 9 at the Minden McDonald's, which will donate 20 percent of its proceeds during that time to the fund.