#PrayFor8: Holliday trust established

Ever since Duke football player Blair Holliday's tragic Jet Ski accident on July 4, in which he collided with teammate Jamison Crowder and suffered critical head injuries, there has been no shortage of support from teammates and the Duke football program.

After a Blair Holliday Recovery Fund was established early in July, the Blair Holliday Recovery Trust has now been established to help pay for the medical treatment of Duke's injured sophomore wide receiver.  To read more about the initial accident, go to The Chronicle's main page.

Holliday, who has been at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's Trauma Center since his accident on Lake Tillery, will now be moved to the Shepherd Center in Atlanta in their Acquired Brain Injury Unit.

From Duke's official release:

“God continues to amaze us through Blair each day,” said Leslie Holliday, Blair’s mother.  “Glimpses of Blair's personality are emerging.  Blair fist bumps teammates and responds with a head nod when asked questions.  Blair recently smiled while hearing his Dad's voice over the phone.   We feel blessed that Blair has been given the opportunity to transition to Shepherd.  We have mixed feelings about taking NSICU's "Baby" to Atlanta, but we know it's in Blair's best interest.  God has opened so many doors and opportunities for Blair's full recovery.  Our family will continue to provide updates related to Blair's condition and ask that you continue to #PrayFor8.

“We would like to thank UNC's physicians, nurses, and staff for making a difficult time in our lives the best it could possibly be,” Leslie Holliday continued.  “We also can't say enough about our new friends at Marriott's Springhill Suites Durham/Chapel Hill – our home away from home.  As we push forward, we would like to remind everyone of why Blair chose Duke to continue his academic and athletic pursuits.  During his interview on National Signing Day, Blair said, "They (Duke) were true to their word."  They were – and are – men of their words and Blair decided to be a man of his.   Demonstrated from the beginning, the commitment by the coaches, administrators and advisors has not waivered and our family is touched by Duke University and its commitment to Blair.  Please continue praying for Blair's full recovery.  Prayer works!”

To donate, checks made out to "Blair Holliday Recovery Trust" can be mailed to P.O. Box 90559, Durham, N.C., 27708, with attention to Peggy Nelson.

Since the injury, Blair has received support from fellow Duke athletes and students on Twitter, with the hashtags #PrayFor8 and #PrayForBlair. The Blue Zone aggregated some of those voices of support from notable Duke athletes and coaches in the week after the accident.