Help Tim Get Back on His Feet

This is Tim.  He’s my brother-in-law.  But above and beyond that, he’s a son, and a grandson, and an uncle, and a friend, and an artist, and the co-owner of a small art gallery in Canton, OH, and perhaps most importantly, a legitimately good person. 

Last night, Tim stepped outside of his art gallery to kindly ask that the two drunk men urinating on the side of the building please leave.  They beat him unconscious, robbed him, and left him for dead.  Sometime later, he regained consciousness and crawled inside to find the gallery abandoned for the night, but he managed to make it to the community garden out back, where a stranger spotted him and called 911. 

Presently, he’s recuperating in the neuro unit at Aultman Hospital in Canton, OH.  His brain is swollen and bruised, but the bleeding has stopped and the doctors expect a full recovery in time. 

Unfortunately, Tim is one of the 28.6 million Americans who remains uninsured—not because of recklessness, or a belief that he’s invincible, but rather because a monthly health insurance payment is the difference between him keeping his gallery open and being forced to shutter it. 

Nevertheless, he’s currently suffering a subdural hematoma, and his injuries have necessitated ambulance transportation, two CT scans, stitches, pain meds, and at least two days’ worth of round-the-clock medical observation and hospitalization.  Needless to say, the medical bills will be substantial.  To add insult to injury, the assailants stole his phone and his wallet, and three weeks ago, in a completely separate incident, thieves broke into his gallery, damaged his front door, destroyed a couple pieces of property inside, and stole his laptop.

For those of you who don’t know Tim, the closest comparison I can draw is to George Bailey in "It's a Wonderful Life," or Bill Murray in “Groundhog Day” (not at the beginning of the film, when he’s a jerk, but at the end of the film, when he goes about his day helping everyone in need and making Punxsutawney a little bit brighter).

Since I’ve known him, Tim has lived in Chicago, Philadelphia, and Los Angeles, but despite the fact that staying in a big city might have afforded him more exposure as an artist, he chose to return home to Canton, OH, and open a small art gallery in a foreclosed building downtown, because he wanted to give back to the community where he spent his most formative years. 

Since then, he and his fellow artists have painted murals downtown in an effort to encourage urban renewal.  They’ve provided free art classes for low-income youth and developmentally disabled adults.  He has donated artwork to charity, and become one of the central figures in Canton First Friday—an initiative to bring families downtown to celebrate and support local business on the first Friday of every month.  And he does all of this not because it’s lucrative, or because he seeks attention, but because it matters.

I’m sure that when I mention he’s the co-owner of an art gallery, it conjures a certain picture, but the fact of the matter is that Tim lives at home with his 95-year-old grandmother.  He drives a used car old enough to drive itself.  He dresses modestly and lives simply, and whenever he has a penny to spare, he offers it to those in need.

Today, that person in need is Tim, and for those of you reading this—friends, family, colleagues, and concerned strangers—I humbly ask that you give what you can.

The purpose of this GoFundMe page isn’t to change Tim’s life, because frankly, it doesn’t need to be changed.  He’s got friends and family who love him, a roof over his head, a small business he’s passionate about, and more talent that I can possibly describe.  But what he could use right now is a helping hand, just as at one time or another, I suspect we all will.

Any donation—no matter how small—is greatly appreciated, and all funds will go directly to pay off Tim’s medical bills and help him replace his stolen property.

Thank you.