Help East Bay Artist, Otto, Paint & Speak Again!

What if . . . . you jog every morning, eat lightly, don't smoke, take no meds, enjoy good health, when suddenly one day you can't talk?  You try, but hear only jumbled sounds fall from your mouth.  Your heart starts to race and you reach for the phone, but . . . you can't form words! In panic, you email a friend, "no puedo hablar!!!"  ("I can't talk!)   This is what happened to Otto Aguilar, our beloved friend and brother, Nicaraguan-born artist and writer, whose work is known from Managua to Madrid.  Otto, in the midst of the pandemic, newly unemployed, has suffered a stroke.
         
Parts of his brain have been damaged.  He struggles to find words. The fingers of his right hand don't do what he wants.  But he walks, he can eat, he understands a lot.  Best of all, he's alive! 

But now Otto needs help - with cooking, groceries, paying the rent, all the basics.  His family came from L.A. to be with him.   They welcomed him home from the hospital.  They camped out in his apartment, hunted his passwords, contacted the landlord, the bank, all the threads of a life.  They arranged for speech and occupational therapists to visit Otto at home.   They brought "puro amor",  with tears and determination to do "whatever it takes" to help Otto recover his life.  

And what is his life?  For Otto, it's Paint.  Write.  Pay attention, reflect.  Share vision and experience.  Stay alive.  Make a difference. Otto's family and friends have immense faith in his ability to recover his life.  We see his motivation and witness his efforts.  

Now we call on you, his greater family, his many friends, fellow-artists, kindred spirits -  you are the "village" it takes, the essential sea in which we each sink or swim.  We ask for your help now.  Every donation matters.   Your love, support, and encouragement matter. 

These donations will go to cover Otto's rent, his core expenses, so he can remain in his home during this critical period of recovery. THANK YOU for your generosity, your love and concern, and for being the beautiful people you are!