FriendsForCos

Carl and Katherine Cosimano are facing the challenge of a lifetime. Carl has become physically disabled and unable to work as a result of several spine surgeries. Katherine has a painful autoimmune disease, complicated by comorbid conditions that make day-to-day living difficult. In addition, they are caring for an adult son with autism. The student loan and mortgage crises left the couple facing over $400,000 in debt, along with their continuing monthly living and medical expenses. And no monthly income at this point. And no savings or other assets to rely upon. Carl and Katherine have worked hard their entire lives... both earning Master’s Degrees with young children in the house, and working in the helping fields of Occupational Therapy and Psychotherapy (LCSW), respectively. Their sons required diligent care and intervention, which was exorbitantly expensive and required massive amounts of time and energy. They never had a family vacation outside of family visits, and they often had to choose between paying the bills and buying food. Life has not been easy, but it has been full of love. And despite their massive challenges, they never stopped caring for others. They are in debt now because they never gave up on their children, because they believed in higher education which allowed them to share their gifts with others but their loans crushed them financially, and because they became incapacitated at a time when they had no savings to carry on. In their careers, Carl and Katherine were beloved practitioners who were widely praised for their work. They were also committed volunteers to organizations such as The American Heart Association, The Tourette’s Association, The Autism Society, and The Alzheimer’s Association. Katherine was also deeply involved in trauma work as a facilitator for the Critical Incident Stress Debriefing team, a Disaster Action and Disaster Mental Health team member for The American Red Cross, and part of the Professionals for Parkland Team who worked with students, teachers, and families following the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in 2018. In order to help reduce expenses, Carl and Katherine and their oldest son have recently moved from Port St. Lucie, Florida to Asheville, North Carolina. As front line health workers and lifelong caregivers, they hope to find ways to give to the community, and to find peace, in the mountains. But first, Carl and Katherine must get back on their feet, access professional services, and stabilize their family. Team Cosimano is a group of families, friends and advisors working pro bono for the financial support of The Cosimano Family. To date, Team Cosimano has raised over $60,000. Fundraising began prior to the Go Fund Me page launch. COVID and logistic issues delayed it. But for these contributions, Carl and Katherine, already on the brink of financial calamity, would not have had the resources to live in a home or to meet their healthcare expenses. Carl has applied for Social Security Disability benefits, and that process is taking longer than expected. If the application is approved, it will provide some monthly income. However, it will not be sufficient to meet their monthly family expenses. Steps are being taken to seek additional state benefits for their substantial healthcare needs, including that of their son, and also to restructure some of their debt and reduce other expenses. However, it is a long, slow and inefficient process. Over forty years ago, Carl Cosimano was one of the most dominant multi-sport scholar athletes in the Washington Metro area. He was a four sport varsity letter winner (football, baseball, basketball, and track) at St. Albans School in D.C., and went on to play basketball at Bucknell University in Lewisburg, PA. Carl’s rise against odds is even more laudatory because he was able to succeed as one of the first St. Albans RISK students. (The RISK program is now The Skip Grant Program). The program provides financial and enrichment support to boys from around the world regardless of race or ethnicity. Carl has a tremendous number of great friends and is universally well-liked and respected. Having to seek assistance in this manner is a humbling experience and one that he wishes he did not have to pursue. But there is no other option. All funds donated through GoFundMe are held in a trust account for Carl and Katherine by Ralph Blasey, a longtime Washington, DC and Maryland attorney. Ralph is volunteering his time and effort to ensure that expenses (at Carl and Katherine’s discretion) are prudently disbursed and reported for Carl’s and Katherine’s benefit. Bill Funderburk, an attorney licensed in California and DC, and climate/water finance authority, fiduciary and business counselor, is also working with Ralph providing pro bono support to Carl and Katherine. Your help is desperately needed and deeply appreciated.