Help Joe get back to what he loves doing the most - creating. On December 17, our friend and colleague Joe Latimer was struck by a car while crossing a crosswalk, suffering spinal injuries that paralyzed him below the chest, and also paralyzed his hands. He is courageously fighting his way forward to get back to what he loves doing the most. Earlier that same day, Joe, ever the jokester, shared this photoshop he made with his friends on Facebook: <img class="not-resizable" src="https://2dbdd5116ffa30a49aa8-c03f075f8191fb4e60e74b907071aee8.ssl.cf1.rackcdn.com/7725675_1450713%5Bphone%20redacted%5D_funddescription.png" alt="" width="100%" /> See why we love him so much? Not only is Joe a creative wizard, he also has an amazing spirit of positivity in everything he does.  Joe's <a href="http://joelatimer.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">work</a>  blows our minds. Stunning digital paintings of interstellar dreamscapes. Killer Predator costumes with shoulder-mounted laser cannons. Photoshop mash-ups of wild hot-rod-tractor-drag-racers so convincing that folks ask if they're pictures of real machines. Freelance graphic design that always over-delivers and wows his clients. This is barely scratching the surface - Joe is an awesome-idea machine, and we're here to help him fight his way back to creating the art he loves. As his friends, we've set up this GoFundMe to raise money to cover his medical expenses, provide for his transportation, make changes to his house so it will fit his needs, and support the extensive physical therapy he'll be doing. Your support means we'll be able to do all of those things – and it shows Joe just how much we all care for him, giving him drive to fight even harder to get healthy. We're so glad he survived, and we want to do everything we can to set him up for victory and support him in this fight. We are grateful – beyond words – for your help. Thank you! Joe's family and friends The Accident: Here's a more detailed explanation of what happened, provided by Joe and his girlfriend, Tracy: "Joe was out doing what he did every night: running our little Radar for 5 miles to release some of the dog’s unending energy. He takes the Seminole trail towards Oviedo and then circles back home. He was at the Tuskawilla Road crosswalk, heading west. "After pressing the crosswalk button, Joe waited for the light to turn red, and for the crosswalk to illuminate, and then proceeded to cross. He crossed the northbound lanes and was narrowly missed by a person who ran the red light. That shook him up a bit so he paused in the median, looked at the southbound lanes, and didn't see any cars so he continued on. The driver of a car heading south ran the red light and hit him going 'at least' 45mph. " Radar is okay - he was found by a good samaritan, checked out thoroughly by a vet, and is now recovering from minor superficial injuries in the care of friends. Joe's Injuries The impact fractured Joe's spine in 3 places, paralyzing him below the chest and in his hands, and broke his right lower leg and right collar bone. The cervical (neck) fracture was the worst; the C6 vertebrae wound up actually sitting next to C7. The hospital staff successfully attempted cervical traction, and afterward Joe had a successful surgery to stabilize this area of the spine. The break in Joe's leg was a compound fracture, and the surgeons have fixed the break and wounds - this area is healing now. The collar bone will heal on its own, though it does give Joe considerable pain and discomfort for now. Joe's spirit is unbroken, and his sense of humor is fully intact. He's keeping family, friends, and the hospital staff laughing and on their toes. Recovery Joe has begun a very extensive rehab program that includes many weeks of inpatient physical and occupational therapy.  Once he goes home, Joe will need special equipment to help him remain independent. His house will need to be retrofitted to help with easier mobilization. And of course, there will be ongoing medical and rehabilitation costs. Tracy, Joe's girlfriend, says, "Joe is a fighter, and he has said he is ready for what's ahead – and he is going to need the support from all of us on this journey. It's going to be a tough road." More About Joe Joe Latimer is an artist, designer, and creator. He's a beloved boyfriend, son, brother, friend, coworker, and creative genious. He loves his girlfriend Tracy, his family, his friends, his dog Radar, his art, his toy robots, his lifted Ford trucks, and working on his house. Oops - we almost forgot to put a bird on this campaign! Good thing <a href="http://joelatimer.com/project/polysaturated/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Joe made an awesome parrot</a>  for the parrots.org charity: <img class="not-resizable" src="https://2dbdd5116ffa30a49aa8-c03f075f8191fb4e60e74b907071aee8.ssl.cf1.rackcdn.com/7725675_1450712%5Bphone%20redacted%5D_funddescription.jpg" alt="" width="100%" /> You can check out more of Joe's creative work here:<a href="http://joelatimer.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><a href="http://joelatimer.com/" target="_blank" class="" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">http://joelatimer.com/</a></a>

Richard Hajjar

BILL STEVENSON

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Anonymous

Andy Hoffman

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Giuliana Alvarez

Shana Hansen

Anne  Crawford

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Artist's hands paralyzed – Meet Joe

Artist's hands paralyzed – Meet Joe

Still $43,641 to go. Help us build momentum.