It is with a heavy heart that I share this news in an attempt to help my nephew, Derek move forward on the most difficult journey of his young life. Derek is currently in Cedars-Sinai Saperstein Critical Care Tower in Los Angeles. He has had a terrible accident and taken a fall, estimated to be 80 feet, that put him on life support with life-changing injuries. He has been in the ICU at the hospital since August 8th, undergone seven surgeries on his legs and is scheduled for more. His  ability to walk again is in question. He will need surgery on his shoulder and face. His neurological function is currently unknown and his future is not clear but he will likely be in the hospital for many, many months. His neurological and physical rehabilitation will include years of intense effort by Derek and his caretakers. His medical bills have already exceeded $1.5M and climbing. While his health insurance will cover much of this, we hope, Derek and Debbie need support to cover deductibles, uncovered medical procedures and equipment, an accessible home, and the costs of living without an income for the foreseeable future. My sister, Debbie has dropped everything, leaving her career, company of 17 years and home in Northern VA to relocate to LA to be by his side.

Derek's team of doctors has impressed upon us that it is a miracle that he survived this fall. We feel his doctors and nurses are the true miracle workers. There are no words to describe how grateful we are that he is still with us today. There are also no words to describe how loved and cherished he is by his family and community.  As many of you that are reading this already know, Derek can be an extreme adventurer.  He has always been a climber -- early on he climbed up trees, onto rooves of schoolhouses, and all over the rocks of Great Falls, Virginia. He has climbed up to and into volcanoes, the Grand Canyon, and Denali, Alaska. He has climbed, biked, hiked, and camped all over the world.  Most recently he backpacked solo for one year from China to New Zealand, and every country in between. Derek is a soulful musician with life-long classical training on the cello. His traveling guitars have kept him company throughout many of his adventures. We love Derek for all these and many more reasons, but mostly his big heart.

Derek, Debbie and their family will continually need support throughout this next year. The most we can hope to do as a family is to ease the looming financial burden during this incredibly stressful time for my sister and nephew. Any size donation is helpful but for those of you who cannot, the power of your daily prayers and positive thoughts cannot be underestimated. Thank you so much for reading this. We are so grateful for all of your support!