GoFundMe for paralysed paraglider raises $100,000 in under 24 hours

A Brunswick paraglider paralysed in a horror crash in Pakistan will be put on the next air ambulance after an online campaign helped raise $150,000 to get him home. But the fundraising efforts won’t stop there.

Alex Yaschenko (right) was paralysed in a paragliding accident in Pakistan.

A GoFundMe created for a Brunswick man who was injured in a paragliding accident in Pakistan has raised enough money to bring him home in the next air ambulance.

Alex Yaschenko, an experienced paraglider, crashed shortly after takeoff in the Hunza Valley on September 28.

A GoFundMe was created to help Mr Yaschenko, who has lived in Brunswick for the past 10 years.

Despite taking out travel insurance for the trip, his injuries mean he needs an air ambulance to transport him home at a cost of hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Alex Yaschenko was paralysed in a paragliding accident in Pakistan.

His friend and girlfriend, Maggie Webb, set up the page to raise $150,000 as quickly as possible.

It ticked over the $100,000 mark yesterday afternoon, less than a day after being launched.

It now has more than $118,000 pledged from 1000 donors.

And organiser Kirsten Seeto said thanks to other benefactors outside the GoFundMe campaign, the money had been raised to evacuate Mr Yaschenko.

On the GoFundMe page, she thanked donors for maximising the chances of Mr Yaschenko’s recovery.

“We are confident that every donation that every single person made helped convince these extra benefactors to step up,” she said.

“The entire team feels truly blessed and completely overwhelmed by the global community response to our plea for assistance.”

But she said the fundraising effort would not stop.

“Given the extent of Alex’s injuries we know that he and his family are going to continue to need to fundraise for his care,” she said.

“Every last cent will be sorely needed and forever appreciated.”

Ms Seeto said once repatriation costs were finalised they would update the total and continue collecting money for Mr Yaschenko’s recovery.

Friend Candice Raeburn said it was a reflection on Mr Yaschenko that the fundraiser had taken off so quickly.

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“He and his girlfriend are the most hard-working, loyal and generous people,” she said.

“When my partner moved here from Germany he took him out paragliding so he could see the view from the air and wouldn’t accept any money to pay for the experience.”

Ms Raeburn said every $15 donated equated to a kilometre of travel home, so it all counted.