On the evening of July 4th, my brother, Andy Bittner was hit by a vehicle while walking home from work. He completed a closing shift and was walking back to his fiancé and fur-babies at their near-by apartment.

We don't know much about the accident other than Andy was not responsive when first-responders arrived and that he was rushed to HCMC. We have since learned that, thankfully, Andy has no known damage to his Brain, Organs, or Spine. He does, however, have many severe orthopedic injuries leaving him with currently only the use of his left arm. He's had several surgeries, and while doesn't have any immediately scheduled, he may need more.

On July 17th, we celebrated Andy's birthday in the hospital. I received the first positive phone call that morning that we'd actually be able to speak with Andy when we came to visit that day. He couldn't say much, but hearing "Hi", "I love you", and "bye" made us the happiest we'd been in weeks.

For those that don't know, Andy was born over a trimester early in the 80s. Spending nearly the first year of his life in the NICO, many treatments for troubled newborns were piloted on Andy with no guarantee that they'd work. Andy came into this world fighting for his life, and has fought every day since. For lack of better words, it's a miracle that we have Andy in this world. Our family lived through a nightmare for him to be here with us. I cannot even imagine how my parents feel 37 years later celebrating their son's birthday in the hospital.

Andy had a lengthy stay at HCMC, and as of 7/24, has been moved to a long-term care facility. Aside from the myriad of broken bones and orthopedic issues, Andy has over come many additional challenges. This includes being extubated, learning how to breath and eat on his own, infections, etc.

Andy is a vulnerable adult who has been living independently for many years. His fiancé, Asher, is unable to work. This leaves Andy as the primary provider of their home. As you can imagine, we are working through many challenges outside of just his medical care. This includes legal, insurance, and day-to-day expenses which are fairly overwhelming. We do not know when Andy will be able to leave the care facility or when / if he'll be able to go back to work.

We need help with the challenge that we're facing. Any amount of help that can be given will make a massive difference for Andy. We appreciate your kindness, patience, and support. If you're not able to financially contribute, please share this fundraiser to spread the world. Please reach out to me as well as I'd love to hear your stories about Andy and catch up.

We're asking for $18,000 to help offset:

Andy is by far the strongest, toughest, most determined person I've ever met in my life. He's also the kindest, sweetest, and funniest as well. He has a heart of gold and has a hard time asking for help. Our families are working together to ask for help for him.

It will be a long road for Andy, and we appreciate everyone's kindness, humor, and grace while we help Andy with his recovery.

With much love and thanks,

Ben Bittner and Family