Aid Valentino's Journey to Full Recovery

Hello good friends of Lauren and Valentino,

We’re writing to you to let you know that Valentino is making great progress as he recovers from his serious fall. Things are looking up though there is a ways to go.

Lauren recently posted this to their page on Lotsa Helping Hands:

“It's been a BIG week (for all of us) and Valentino has been able to celebrate some mighty big mile-markers. Let's be clear that one never "gets used" to casts. That said, Valentino got pretty creative and his fingers became quite adept in the first weeks of the new year. We enjoyed some flat hiking, he played Legos with his nieces and nephews and got really good at feeding himself. Last week, we got the "OK" to cut those casts off -- Hooray!! Yesterday, he was in surgery to remove hardware that has been supporting his bone growth. The Dr said 'I really like the way his bones are looking!' She also said, 'The next four months are critical for his exercises and regaining strength.' So, we have our agenda and a timeline.”

On February 2, 2025 a large group of Val’s musician friends are putting on a benefit concert entitled, “Tunes for Tino,” to help raise money to cover Val's ongoing medical costs and loss of income. If you are in the Bay Area, we’d love for you to attend! To purchase tickets ($30 each), go to this link at Eventbrite.

Many many thanks to all who have donated via this Go Fund Me page. We’ve raised over $25,000 so far which achieves one-third of our goal of raising $75,000. Thank you. Thank you. “Tunes for Tino” will now help. If you can forward this to your networks, it’s another way to support. And if you are able to donate once again, Lauren and Val would greatly appreciate it!

There is a saying that it takes a village to raise a child. That saying extends to all of us because, in the end, we all thrive in a village that is giving and receiving.

Warmly and with appreciation,

Mary and Steve Hicken