Many of you already know that my dad, Stanley Behrens, was in a terrible accident. On Saturday June 20th, Stan was hit by a car while riding his bike home after playing the Summer Solstice street festival on Main Street in Santa Monica. After over 40 years of residence, Stan is an iconic figure in Venice Beach who rides his classic 1973 green Schwinn Varsity on a daily basis. He was in the bike lane less than a mile from home when a driver failed to yield and turned left into him.

Stan was taken to the hospital with very serious injuries. He has an exhaustive list of broken bones; his orbital, nose, clavicle, scapula, C7 vertebra, ribs, and ankle among them, but his most concerning injury is to his brain. Stan underwent emergency brain surgery the following morning, on Father’s Day, to alleviate a significant brain bleed and then spent the next week intubated in the UCLA Neurotrauma ICU.

When I arrived to the hospital the day after Father’s Day, I didn’t know if I’d ever get to speak to my dad again. My mom and I have been spending every single day by his side, rooting for his recovery. And of course because he’s New York tough and stubborn as a bull, he’s slowly making progress. After a week, he was able to breathe on his own and was moved out of the ICU to a room in the Neuro ward on the same floor, where he’s been now for the last few weeks.

Recovery from a traumatic brain injury is not linear. Stan has battled a fever, hospital delirium, extreme confusion and anger, and coping with the realization of his own injuries, but he has a fighting spirit. He’s doing remarkably well considering the severity of his injuries— he is more cognizant, recognizes his family and friends, retains strength and coordination, and (for better or worse), his sense of humor hasn’t changed a bit.

Soon, Stan will be well enough to be transferred from the hospital to an in-patient rehab facility. He will need around the clock care while his broken bones continue to heal and the swelling in his brain continues to diminish. To better his chances of recovery, he will require intensive physical and cognitive therapy. Doctors tell us his recovery is a marathon which will take between 6 months to a year and it’s difficult to say what his life will look like at the finish line.

This accident has not only interrupted my dad’s hyper social, independent, and active lifestyle, but also his ability to work. As his only child, I have also put my own life and work on hold to help him out.

You may not know it but Stan has colored the soundtrack to a lot of our lives. Like many career musicians, Stan’s body of work is vast, diverse, and often uncredited. He’s played alongside blues and jazz giants, toured around the world with famous bands and worked on everything from children’s cartoons, to heavy metal records, to blockbuster films. And he does it for the love of playing music because all of this earns him only a modest living.

If it’s not difficult enough navigating the trauma of this accident, my family is now also contending with the immense financial consequences of it. I am humbled and heartened by the support we have already seen from Stan’s community and his recovery will indeed take a village. Stan will need the company of family and friends to stimulate his mind and keep his spirits high. He will need a care provider to help him with his day to day tasks once he is discharged from the rehab facility. He will need financial assistance to help pay for the care provider, the medical bills, and rent on the Venice apartment he loves and can’t afford to lose.

We appreciate anything you can spare at this moment, whether it’s a donation, your companionship, or sharing this campaign far and wide.

With gratitude,

Chloe Behrens