Hi friends and family!

This is David's sister, Leigh, writing from New Jersey.

On Friday, May 9, 2025, David had a bad bike wreck near his home in Portland, Oregon. He sustained 18 thoracic spine fractures, 9-10 rib fractures, a broken collarbone, and a broken scapula (shoulder blade). Fortunately, he was smartly wearing a good helmet, which likely saved his life, and definitely saved his brain, neck, and mobility! I don't believe he would have survived this without it.

While being treated at OHSU, the Oregon Health & Science University Hospital in Portland, David has undergone several procedures as of this writing: hardware fusion of T5-T9, and bilateral rib (anesthetic) blocks to help him breathe better & more comfortably in the context of the rib fractures (they have to move when you breathe...). He is facing a long recovery, but will hopefully eventually be able to fully return to his current job of stone cutting, and of course his beloved artistic pursuits of playing music and performing comedy. There is probably a darts tournament in there somewhere?

David is going to need ongoing support for a while - we don't yet know the time frame; as of this writing he remains in the ICU. He will be enrolled in Oregon Pays, but I hope to provide him some cushion and possibly the ability to finally get a car, so he can both get around more easily and more safely.

To complicate matters, our father died of dementia on May 13, 2025, so David is having to process this while coming out of the fog of his own trauma.

I want to personally thank all of his Portland friends, his bosses, and his landlord, who have all stepped up, literally from the moment the accident happened, and who are helping our mother have a comfortable place to stay and reliable rides around town, etc., while she is there to support him.

I have been BLOWN AWAY by the generosity everyone has already demonstrated here. Please know that any amount you can contribute is significant and adds up - the smallest amount will be just as welcome. Some of you know about my health & work situation: I know what it’s like not to be able to donate like I normally would. We know this works effectively in small increments, too! 

To any strangers who will contribute to this - it means the world; thank you so, so much.