Help Jonathan Cirigliano Heal and Rebuild

My name is Nicole Cirigliano, wife of Jonathan Cirigliano, a carpenter, married for 17 years.

We are the proud parents of 3 boys ages 16, 14, and 10.

Like everyone else, we save for rainy days. But no one saves for the catastrophic accident my husband experienced on Saturday, August 31 when a safety harness he was strapped into failed and Jonathan fell 25 feet to the ground. It was a fall from a height few people survive. Jon landed on his back, and based on the severity of the fall, he was told he was presumed dead.

Jon lost consciousness and woke up to a nightmare. Jon was rushed by ambulance to a local community hospital. After assessing the severity of his injuries, the doctors there immediately transferred Jonathan to Westchester Medical Center, a 2-hour ambulance ride away.

The EMS personnel, doctors and all the nurses who heard about the fall, all repeated the same thing: It was a miracle Jon had survived the fall. We are grateful that he survived, but all Jon could think of was our family, how extensive his injuries were, and how soon he could get back to work.

At Westchester Medical Center, Jon endured painful x-rays and exams. One doctor after another began explaining his injuries. The pulmonologist explained he had a collapsed right lung. The orthopedic surgeon told me he had two displaced ribs. The radiologist identified a fractured vertebra in the L-x of his lower back. The hospital held Jon for observation for 2 nights and 3 days to rule out internal bleeding and watch for any other complications the fall might have caused.

Jon’s physical pain was by nothing compared to his mounting worry. Every moment in the hospital was moving our family into an insurmountable debt. As the doctors estimated how many months he should expect to miss work to allow for his recovery, Jon estimated how many weeks–weeks, not months–our rainy day fund would hold out without him working. Jon became despondent. We knew for the first time in our adult life I would have to ask for help.

As I write this, Jon is just a few days out of the hospital. Jon is doing all he can to speed his recovery and reassure our family that we will see our way through this. I am asking for your help. If we can find enough people who are willing to donate the cost of what they’d spend on a beer or a coffee, my family will have enough to cover Jon’s lost income in the coming months, and start to put a dent into the medical bills that will be arriving soon. To say I am grateful for your generosity does not even begin to express what I truly feel.

Thank you for taking the time to read my story and offer any help and encouragement you can. I will spend the rest of my life paying it forward.

Nicole and Family