Imagine that you're celebrating your birthday with one of your best friends. You go out, get dinner, a couple hours later you’re at a bar with a drink you just ordered in front of you when you suddenly wake up on the floor, unable to talk or communicate with the people standing around you because of the pain in your jaw.

That’s what happened to my friend Gary Stalter.

He was out with a friend for his birthday on August 19. Gary had just taken a sip of a drink and put it back down when he inexplicably fainted and fell off a bar stool. His head swung like the blade of a hatchet onto the floor, breaking his jaw in three places.

He has to contend with an utter nightmare of a situation now.

Gary is one of my best friends. I’ve known him since he was 14. He’s a bona-fide good guy. A real one, as they say. He’s someone that wants the best for everyone around him and everyone who’s friends with him knows he’s hilarious, even when he shouldn’t be. There have been so many times over the years that I’ve wanted him to shut up, but not like this.

Gary had to spend 3 days in the hospital while he underwent a surgery to wire his jaw shut so it can heal. No one has been able to give him an explanation as to why he might have fainted. For now, he won’t be able to speak at all for over a month, and a full recovery could take over 6 months. He’s a bartender, and in the meantime he’s unable to work while he recovers — a process that is just in its beginning.

Medical bills are piling in, and more are to come. He has living expenses he needs to keep up with from car payments, to rent, and meals. Oh, and by the way, he was in the middle of moving when his accident happened.

While my boy is stuck drinking his breakfast, lunch, and dinner, the bills just keep getting higher. This is to say that the expenses associated with this freak accident are steep and growing.

Lets get together as a community and pitch in to keep my friend Gary financially afloat in this incredibly difficult time. Even if you can’t muster just a small donation, share this to get some attention for someone who really deserves our help right now.