David Norris needs a helping hand

UPDATE: David remains in limbo with no sign of disability insurance payouts, and has run out of funds to keep paying his rent and insurance bills. Worse, his current wait time to begin therapy and hope of recovery is at closest 9 months away, thanks to an arcane and broken health system. Any help you can offer will go a long way to helping him.

On Easter Sunday last past spring, our friend and veteran wine industry colleague David Norris suffered a hemorrhagic stroke causing a massive bleed in his brain. He woke up to an intense headache and started worrying a bit when he experienced some blindness. When he arrived at the hospital and had a CT scan it became apparent that he was in grave danger. Indeed, he barely got to the hospital in time, and is lucky to be alive today. One apparent cause was extremely high blood pressure, brought about from the stress of caring for his ailing mother. Dave's doctors have made it clear that he is an extremely rare case to have survived and to have done so without suffering severe brain damage.

Dave is lucky to have held onto health insurance despite professional setbacks in the wake of Covid, but his bills are piling up and because of a backlog in the state's disability insurance system he is unlikely to recieve any aid from the government.

Also, as he is slowly beginning his recovery, he is physically and mentally unable to work, and is mostly stuck within the confines of his flat in Brooklyn.

This delay in aid from the government threatens his very existence today. Stories of how the bureaucratic systems slow down relief so much that sick people end up homeless are sadly not uncommon.

Dave is a very proud person who does not feel comfortable asking for help, but is in dire need of some support. Any small donation you can spare will go a long way to helping him in his time of need, and will go towards covering his rent and health insurance so he can keep healing.

Thank you for considering and helping if you can. The goal set is a lofty one but would cover his expenses for 9 months, the best case scenario timeline for his case being considered for disability insurance payouts.