Help Oliver Hilman and his parents as he recovers

Hi, my name is David Berg, I've been a close friend of Clay and Adrienne for many years now. Their family is well known in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan for running the fabulous KC Bonkers Toys and Coffee; Clay and their son Oliver are both well known for serving up magical drinks and creating a warm and welcoming sense of family in the town of Hancock. Their daughter, Irene, is attending college in Portland, OR but was a regular sight on both sides of the coffee bar for many years now. Adrienne has been part of the coffee shop from the beginning but in recent years has successfully pursued her dream of being a healer with being a licensed massage therapist. Brooke Hilman is Oliver's Bonus Mom and, together with his parents, has been a huge support to him as he has passed the recent milestone of graduating and moving into his first apartment.

Introductions aside, last week, on Tuesday night, Oliver suffered from a very serious fall from over 15' down onto concrete; until he wakes up and can share his memory (although it is quite possible he will have no recollection of the actual event), details are not real clear but we do know it was an unpredictable accident. In the first of many ways that God has provided through this time, Oliver had a friend visiting who was able to initiate the call for help, without which, this story could be very different. Completely unresponsive, he was taken by ambulance to the local hospital where they determined within hours that he would have better treatment at the trauma hospital in Madison, WI, and was transported by air last Wednesday. Oliver was injured quite badly, with the most concerning injury being three hematomas (two on the left and one on the right hemispheres) of the brain, but he also had several facial fractures, a fractured rib and punctured lung, a fractured pelvis and multiple abrasions and cuts.

He was intubated because of the punctured lung and heavily sedated to prevent him from pulling the tube out. Since the initial trauma, pneumonia has developed, which is not unexpected, but it is a concern as his body tries to recover. Despite the serious nature of the injuries, there is a lot of good news: Oliver has managed to give a solid "thumbs up" on Sunday and has confirmed movement and sensation in all his limbs. There does not appear to be any damage to his spinal cord, which in itself is amazing to consider. The bleed in his brain has stopped and the swelling is going down, and at this time, it appears that no surgeries will be necessary! Finally, we were thrilled to hear that his breathing tube has been removed on Monday, which was a big step towards the next phase of healing when he can start waking up, something his entire family is anxiously waiting for.

Family Support: Many more medical details could fill up pages, but the reason for this fundraiser is to allow those who know and care for Oliver, Adrienne, Irene, Clay and Brooke a tangible means of supporting them right now. Adrienne is a very gifted self-employed licensed massage therapist, and she will not be able to make any income while she keeps vigil by Oliver's bedside. Clay badly wants to stay by Oliver's side as well, but the shop cannot remain open with both of them not working, so he will be running the store and commuting the daunting 6-hour drive to Madison with Brooke as often as they are able.

Support for Oliver: As he heals, there will be a very real need for ongoing care and support for him. Care and support means purchasing a myriad of aid and supplies not covered by insurance, food, and other basic needs. He will likely be in the hospital at least a couple more weeks, possibly longer, but then he starts months of rehab and physical therapy. It is impossible to gauge what the cost might be for all the unknowns of recovery from a life-changing incident like this, but we know it will be significant and our hope is that he does not have to worry about finances and instead can focus on his physical, emotional and spiritual healing.

All that being said, there is a tangible and time-sensitive need to support this amazing family through a time of great suffering. I want to say though that I've been talking to Clay or Adrienne pretty much daily and there has been moments of great beauty and emotional bonding and miraculous bits of joy that can only be attributed to the tenderness of a loving God. One example of how He is providing--Irene and Adrienne had a mother/daughter weekend planned in Madison, WI for last Friday. She already had a plane ticket for the very city where her brother was flown!

Those of us who love this family would love it if we could ease some of the financial burden that has already arisen from lack of work, unplanned-for travel, lodging, meals, etc. It is my hope that in addition to generously sharing resources via this fundraiser, we could also bless them with both publicly written and private prayer, as well as posting messages on here of how much this family means to you.

As life gets back to normal, please consider supporting Adrienne by booking a massage. She will not be accepting new clients for several months while her schedule is committed to Oliver, but as someone who had the privilege of a bodywork session with her, I can guarantee you will not regret it! https://www.massagebook.com/Hancock~Massage~adrienne-newman-holistic-massage-therapy/ Similarly, drop by https://kcbonkers.com/ and get a Bonker Bubbler or other amazing beverage, or pick up a game or toy and let them know you are thinking about them! (Note: the store will be short staffed and each of them are processing this event in their own way so we kindly ask that you not ask staff for intimate updates while they are working.)

Thanks for reading, whether you feel led to share financially or not, it would mean a lot if you could share this link and help spread the word, and please do drop a message of support!

In closing, GoFundMe is a trustworthy organization and although they do take a small fee which keeps the website running, 100% of the net proceeds will go to Clay, Adrienne and Oliver. As you complete the transaction, you may see an option to leave a tip; this is a donation to GoFundMe, and will not go to the family. If you would like to donate additional funds for that purpose, you are welcome to, but we wanted to make that disclosure.