On July 26, Tosh Hodges's life changed forever. One minute he was celebrating becoming a full-time employee with benefits at the job he’d worked since graduating from high school in June. The next, an illegal firework his friend bought on Facebook marketplace blew up in his hand.

In an instant, he lost his entire thumb and pointer, along with half his middle finger and the hearing in one ear. His other fingers were badly broken, and his body was covered in burns. He had to get an emergency transfusion because he’d lost so much blood and undergo multiple surgeries to reconstruct what is left of his hand.

We are incredibly grateful that he survived the accident and that his eyes were spared thanks to his glasses. But it’s been a brutal ordeal and we’re struggling to adapt to his new reality. The accident has created a huge financial strain. Despite having health insurance, Tosh has already amassed about $100,000 in medical bills, and he still has a long recovery ahead of him. He’ll need at least a year of intensive physical therapy and other treatments before he can even consider going back to work.

The rest of our family has also had their lives thrown off track. Tosh’s father was recently laid off, and his mother, Rosezena (Zena), is taking time off her job to care for him. We need help to stay afloat and pay for Tosh’s future treatments.

According to Tosh’s doctors, there are only two options that would allow him to regain some function in his hand. One is undergoing major surgery to remove his big toe and turn it into a thumb. The other is fitting him with a robotic hand. Both of these procedures cost tens of thousands of dollars and, confoundingly, neither of them is covered by insurance. Even a non-functioning prosthetic would be a major out-of-pocket expense.

We are at a loss and are asking for your help so we can continue to support Tosh, cover his mountain of medical costs, and pay for the treatment he needs to recover as much function as possible. He is only 19 years old and deserves the chance to lead a full life. We are enormously grateful for your support.