Jonathan (John) Merritt is the most lively, God-fearing, and gracious man. He is a son, a brother, an uncle, and everyone’s best friend!

He was sadly involved in a severe ATV accident on May 17, 2025, in which he was thrown approximately 40 feet. At only the age of 27, he has suffered:

He was flown to the most capable hospital and went in for an emergency hemicraniectomy (removal of a piece of the skull to relieve some of the swelling on the brain).

As of now, there is not much of an update for the swelling, and there might not be for a while due to the severity of his injuries. Due to all of the swelling around his head and face, John is not able to open his eyes just yet.

Before arriving at the hospital, John was placed on a ventilator to support his breathing. Luckily, as of May 19, he was able to do a pressure support ventilation trial, which not only gives him a chance to breathe on his own but have more control. This opportunity allows for the staff to see if he would be a candidate for extubation (taking the breathing tube out) and hopefully avoid a tracheotomy.

For the time being, the staff have placed a feeding tube for nutrition and have been carefully monitoring his cardiac function along with stabilizing his lab values.

Jonathan has a very long road ahead of him. If he was able to speak for himself, he would ask everyone to please pray for him and his loved ones. John lives at home with his mother, who will need the utmost support and help on this journey. Funds will go directly to John’s medical expenses and support him through this unknown journey. His family will truly appreciate any help, support, or prayer that they are able to offer in this difficult time.