Help the O’Hara-Heinz Family Pay for Joel's 24-7 Care

I am posting this GoFundMe on behalf of my sister, Kathleen O’Hara-Heinz, and her family. Their family has suffered a tragedy and are in desperate need of help. Kathleen’s husband, Joel, was in a traumatic, life-altering bicycle accident two months ago, leaving him with several severe injuries including traumatic brain injuries and many broken bones. His wife Kathleen and daughters Moira and Kiera have been by his side nearly every day, often all day. His brain damage and injuries require that he have 24/7 care to keep him safe. After 51 days in the ICU, Joel has stabilized enough and 10 days ago was transferred to a rehab facility. However, his insurance only covers a short stay and he will soon have to return home severely disabled and Kathleen and Moira cannot provide the 24/7 care he needs on their own. Kathleen is the family’s sole provider and she needs to return to work. We are asking for help to fundraise to help pay for the cost of round the clock caregivers for Joel.

Thank you so much. No amount is too small. You can donate on Venmo @Kathleen-OHaraHeinz or on this site. ALL donations will go directly to providing care for Joel. Thank you all so much for anything you can do, including sharing this link and prayers.

About the Ohara-Heinz family

Kathleen and Joel have been together over 32 years and just celebrated 25 years of marriage. They have two amazing daughters Keira and Moira. Joel is well known in the community. He was a yard duty volunteer at their daughter's former elementary school for many years and works at a local grocery store. He is known for helping elderly and widowed neighbors with small home repairs and yard work. Kathleen has worked for over 30 years as a licensed Pediatric Occupational Therapist helping some of the most vulnerable children in our area.

Joel’s accident

On Friday July 26th 2024 Joel was catastrophically injured when he was hit by a car while riding his bicycle home from work. Kathleen soon learned that he had multiple severe injuries, one of the most significant was a traumatic brain injury with five intracranial bleeds; this, along with other injuries, required him to be placed into a medically induced coma. Joel suffered broken and fractured bones including open fractures in his jaw, nasal bones, and his eye sockets, a shattered wrist, broken clavicle, knees, ankle, and ribs, and a pneumothorax. He was intubated and has had 5 surgeries to date. A tracheostomy and a gastric feeding tube were placed.

The extent of Joel’s brain damage is not clear yet. However, what is clear is that he is not capable at this point of being alone due to periods of confusion, impulsive behavior, and physical limitations that create a significant safety risk.

On 9/16/24, after 51 days in the Intensive care Unit, and later the Progressive Care Unit, Joel was stepped down into a convalescent/rehab facility with the goal of hopefully gaining strength and mobility. Joel is a fighter and he is working hard to get better.

This tragedy has caused a tremendous hardship on this family and has been a very long, painful, and stressful process that will continue for an unknown period of time.

Planning for the future

Joel’s insurance coverage only allows a short stay, which means he will be going home soon and will require round-the-clock care due to sustained brain damage as well as his physical limitations. My sister, Kathleen and their younger daughter, Moira, are not able to provide this level of care by themselves. Kathleen is the sole provider for their family and has already missed over two months of work to date. Kathleen and their daughter, Moira, have spent nearly every day since his accident being by Joel's side and advocating for his care.

The family is exhausted, and when Joel comes home, they will need a lot of help. Their immediate financial needs are to provide 24/7 caregivers for Joel at their home and as you may know, in home care in incredibly expensive.

We are asking for donations to help pay for 24/7 care for Joel so Kathleen can get back to work to support her family and Moira, their daughter, can continue her local college classes. It will be impossible for Kathleen to support her family if she cannot work, therefore I am reaching out to the community for help.

We greatly appreciate you taking the time to read a little of their story and will be forever grateful for any help they receive.

Again, thank you so much. No amount is too small. You can donate on Venmo @Kathleen-OHaraHeinz or on this site. ALL donations will go directly to providing care for Joel.

Thank you all so much for anything you can do, including sharing this link and prayers

Joel with his daughters.

The Ohara-Heinz Family

Joel when he first arrived at theICU Trauma unit

Joel’s daughter's, Kiera and Moira by their Dads side in the ICU