A Protector. A Fighter. Nick Raspino

If you have ever met Nicholas Raspino you would know within the first minute of conversation that he is a warmhearted man with a heart of gold. He treats each person as a friend, even if he does not know them, and he leaves them with a great impact. It is clear that he is reliable, helpful, accountable, intelligent, and a protector. Nick is an incredible son, brother, friend, and hero, and he will do everything he can for those he loves. He does not believe in violence, and instead, he encourages clear communication to sort out any conflicts with a goal to land in a mutual understanding from both parties.

Nick is a fighter in a different sense of the word, as we have seen during the long days and longer nights in the intensive care unit starting in May of 2022.

A good friend named Faith called Nick during the late hours of May 7th, knowing that he is who she trusts to help her in a scary situation. Nick, seeing that call, knew it was important and left work early to help. Nick kept Faith safe from a perpetrator that night, but the next morning both of them became victims. The offender used a gun in an act of mindless rage. Nick was rushed to the hospital and immediately underwent trauma surgery. This would then be followed by days in the ICU and follow up surgeries. We are expecting a long recovery process, with rehabilitation as well, and with hopes that he will regain the use of his legs. He sustained injuries to one lung, one kidney, his diaphragm, his liver, and his spinal cord. 

Tragically, Faith did not survive the incident. Our heart aches for her family and friends during this time.

We believe starting this Go Fund Me would not only help Nick survive this tragedy financially, but it would also show him the love and support from his friends, family, and even strangers. We have had multitudes of people reach out to us asking if they can help Nick with anything. Many people have offered to send food, physical support, emotional support, money, and more. With this Go Fund Me, we are asking for whatever you are able to provide. If you can’t donate, we encourage you to send your love either as a comment below, share this link with your friends, or send a direct message to Nick. We also encourage your thoughts and prayers to be lifted toward Faith’s family. They are facing their own set of challenges and grief in this difficult time.

By donating what you can, Nick will be able to utilize the best possible facilities and teams for physical therapy. One of the bullets shattered the T12 vertebra and lodged bone and metal fragments into his spinal cord. We are told the chances of him walking again are slim, but we will take that small percentage and run with it. Funds will also be used for mental health counseling and grief counseling for Nick as he processes this nightmare. We are committed to giving Nick every fighting chance. He fought for Faith. He’s fighting in the ICU for us. Please join our fight for him. None of the support that has come, and will continue to come, for Nick goes unnoticed. We are sincerely thankful for everyone in his support team.

Faith’s family also arranged a Go Fund Me for her expenses: https://gofund.me/4b30c982

With love,

Darlena, Paul, and Natalie