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East Texas family raffles off daughter's Taylor Swift tickets to pay medical bills after skiing accident; community also helping raise funds

Hannah Evans is recovering after a tragic skiing accident in Colorado.

LINDALE, Texas — A ski accident in Colorado over spring break has left a Lindale High School student in the hospital with multiple injuries, leading the community to brainstorm several fundraising ideas for her family as she recovers. 

Senior cheerleader Hannah Evans hit a tree while skiing in Colorado over spring break which resulted in several injuries. 

To help raise funds for her recovery, Evans' cheer coach Christy Bateman, along with other organizers, are planning a "Cheers for Hannah" event and bingo night on April 29 at Pickers Pavilion in Lindale.

"She's proven herself as a great leader of Lindale's cheer team and leads boldly by positive example," Bateman said. "We would like for anybody who would like to join forces with us (to help) out with funds, or come play bingo with us."

Support for the teen has been pouring in from every corner, inspiring a fundraiser in her honor as she recovers nearly 900 miles away in a Colorado hospital. Evans' family said she still has a long road to recovery, but they are truly grateful for the overwhelming support.

This cheerleader’s impact is so strong at LISD that her coach gave her a nickname.

"I nicknamed her 'Peppy' from an event that occurred the very first year, her freshman year that she cheered for us," Bateman said. "She was going through a rough patch, low adversity, things just weren't going great and she came to me and said, coach Bateman, I am going to be the pepp-pepp-peppiest cheerleader you ever saw tonight. So from then on she's been 'Peppy' for us."

Bateman says she wishes more students were like Evans and continues to describe her as a ray of sunshine who encourages everyone around her and is constantly smiling. 

"She's kind of like our glue that kept our team together," Bateman said. "She just has a great personality. She just holds her standards high."

Evans is a huge Taylor Swift fan and had tickets to attend one of her concerts in Arlington. Since she won’t be able to make the concert, the family is raffling off the tickets to help raise more funds for medical bills. 

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