Since May 23rd, our dear friend Adam — incredible father, loving husband, brilliant researcher, and truly tenacious warrior — has been hospitalized and fighting for his life.

We’re asking for your help during this catastrophic crisis, so Adam has the best chance to come home and his wife Shaina and 2-year old son Sammy can get the critical support they need.

In late May, Adam tripped and hit his head. While he walked into the ER, within hours he lost his ability to speak and began to lose consciousness. A CT scan confirmed a massive brain bleed. Surgery removed much of the hemorrhage, but left him unconscious and struggling to breathe. To date, he remains hospitalized and barely conscious, facing a long and uncertain recovery.

Adam’s challenges began decades ago. He has battled a genetic disease called Neurofibromatosis Type 2, which results in brain and spinal tumors, as well as a wasting of muscle throughout his body. He has undergone many medical treatments and has had countless brain surgeries, leaving him deaf, blind in one eye, and with a loss of balance and muscle strength. Despite this, Adam has remained the kindest, funniest, and most curious person you’d ever meet, collecting friends and degrees everywhere he went —

All of which led him to build a beautiful meaningful life with his wife, son and eclectic career — most recently working as a researcher at the NIH and then the University of Maryland. Among other achievements, he has worked to improve the treatment of substance use disorders and to develop communication platforms to enhance the lives of people with autism.

To say Adam is inspiring would only begin to scratch the surface of who he really is.

Since being hospitalized, Adam has battled multiple rounds of pneumonia. He spent over a month weaning off the ventilator and adjusting to a tracheostomy, only to go back on the ventilator after another brain surgery. He is still unable to move the left side of his body, and has only just begun to say a few words. At times he is alert and able to respond to questions with nods or gestures, and give hugs with his good arm. We know Adam is still there and still fighting through.

The doctors tell us recovery from this type of brain injury is a matter of years, and there is no way to know what Adam’s long-term needs and abilities may be. We know, no matter what, he will require round-the-clock care and at least a month in an out-of-state rehab facility. He may never work again.

Adam’s young family finds itself in crisis. Adam was the primary earner, and despite his and Shaina’s decades of work and study, the long-term medical costs are insurmountable for them alone. While Adam’s family is working to figure this out, we know they are struggling to make ends meet. And while Adam is the last person who would ask for help — he’s always been the first to give when it’s needed.

We are reaching out now to our village and our communities to help Adam’s family through this impossible time. We would be so grateful for any support you are able to give.

Any funds we raise will be provided directly to Adam’s family and put towards:

We have all read how a medical crisis can destroy a family financially. Please help us prevent this from happening to this extraordinary family. Thank you so much for reading and for all of your love and support.