On Thursday, December 11th, our dear friend John Parker went outside to help a neighbor. John fell badly, breaking his neck and back. He was paralyzed.

After emergency transport to St. John’s, he was transferred to UH main campus where John underwent hours of surgery. Motor function was restored to parts of John’s upper body. However, the outlook for John’s lower body recovery remains grim. As of December 14th, John remains in ICU.

Tina and John could use our help. While John is a veteran and has insurance, there are many expenses that will be coming. The emergency medical expenses will be substantial, but making life manageable for their new reality will be daunting. Their home is not designed for ADA or wheelchair use.

However you may know Tina or John—as North Olmsted community supporters, as school teachers, as Democratic Party activists, John as a veteran, or simply as kind and decent people—you know that they have given their lives to helping all of us. Now it’s our turn to show them what they mean to us.