Recovery Fund for Kevin Large

Kevin was driving his Suzuki Grand Vitara on the evening of Thursday, May 5, 2016 and was involved in a two-car accident.  He was taken by ambulance to Southside Hospital and then transferred to the Trauma Center at Metro Hospital in Cleveland.

On CT Scan, it was discovered that he had some fracture of his sternum (the manubrium at the top of the sternum), a hematoma over the sternum, and a fracture of the second floating rib on the right side.  While being observed in the Trauma ICU, he exhibited  some other signs and symptoms of blunt force trauma from such a rapid deceleration accident.

After six days on the ICU, Kevin was transferred to a general medical bed, and was discharged on Thursday evening, May 12, 2016.

At the time of the accident, Kevin was wearing his seat belt and, more importantly, the gold crucifix from Italy that his mother had given him several decades ago, and the crucifix and medal of St. Benedict which he had been wearing on a daily basis in recent weeks.

Both cars were totalled and Kevin's airbag deployed.  The shoulder seat belt and lap belt restrained him in such a manner that it reminded Kevin of the image of a jet fighter landing on an aircraft carrier and the plane being caught in a net, or the tailhook catching the cable, thus stopping the plane.
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In searching the Internet, there is an article which directly speaks to the number of g's that one would experience in such an accident.

"Collision Reconstruction Concepts (a series) posted by DJS associates, at www.forensicdjs.com.  The article is written by James R. Schmidt, Jr., MSME SR. Collision Reconstruction Engineer. 

If a vehicle hits a telephone pole at 35 mph, it goes to 0 mph in about 0.11 seconds.  "The g's are now at 14 1/2, which is nearly 21 times faster than skidding to a stop. 

Next, let's go one step further.  Let's have the vehicle crash head-on into a brick wall.  The forward velocity of the vehicle stops in about 0.8 seconds (plus or minus), which is even quicker than the utility pole scenario. 

Again, as would would be expected, the g-forces are even higher... just about 20 g's on average, nearly 29 times faster than skidding to a stop, and 100 times faster than normal braking to a stop at a red light.  It's no wonder that severe injuries can result during a collision."

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We are seeking to raise funds to aid Kevin in his recovery:

(1) So that Kevin can buy a used car. 

The State Farm claims adjustor said that the Suzuki was totalled.  Their coverage will be paid directly to the bank loan.  Therefore there are no monies left to buy another car.

(2)  To provide some financial assistance and nominal income while Kevin is seeking re-employment.  To help pay for the storage units that contain the boxes, furniture, and other times from Kevin's apartment.

(3)  To help provide a financial base for Kevin to be able to move and get his own apartment once again. 

***** NEW (#4) Kevin has an interview for a management position that is for an agency that is located at the southern border of Ohio.  The interview is on Tuesday, 6-21-16.  With the hopes that will lead to a job offer, we are seeking some assistance so that Kevin can move to the new location, and have some funds for a rental unit, deposit, and utilities.  Depending upon a successful job offer, and anticipating moving there within a week or two possibly, it may be another month or so before Kevin would receive his first paycheck from the new employer.

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In the new cover photo for this GoFundMe page, Kevin is holding Bobby, the cocker spaniel who belonged to his father until Dad passed away in 2007.  Dad called him Bobby and Mom called him Pooka.  Mom and Kevin took care of Bobby until Mompassed away in 2013.  So, for the next two years, it was Kevin and Bobby.  Bobby went nearly everywhere Kevin went.  Bobby was Kevin's best friend and companion.  Sadly, Bobby went to Pet Heaven in September 2015 after 13 years with the Large family.  As Kevin is in the process of getting back on his feet, he would like to have another cocker spaniel.  It is his hope to be able to find another cocker spaniel in the near future.
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Thank you to all of those that have contributed to the campaign.  Your assistance is greatly appreciated!!!

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Last year, Kevin moved to Cleveland for a management position that had been brought to his attention.  Although Kevin invested considerable time, money, and effort moving to Cleveland, including obtaining state certification to work as a counselor, the job stability was lacking with the new employer.   Due to circumstances with the employer, Kevin was out of work in less than three months after he started. 

The resources that he had when he moved to Cleveland were exhausted last year, and he moved back to Indiana for a brief period of time.  So, after a period of unemployment and underemployment over the past nine months, Kevin continues his job search for a positon in his primary career field.

We appreciate your support, prayers, and any financial support that you may be able to offer.
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Sharing some personal reflections following the accident:

A wake-up call from God... to appreciate life, and to know how precious and fragile life is.

Get your priorities in order.

Take time for yourself, and for those you love.

Pain means that you are still alive.
To not feel pain means that you may have passed on over to the other side...

It could have been worse.
Change a circumstance or two, and it could have been much, much worse.

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Kevin wrote this version of the Serenity Prayer two days after the accident (with thanks to Reinhold Niebuhr for writing the Serenity Prayer):

+ God grant me the serenity to get through this day.

+ God grant me the courage to carry on.

+ And God, grant me the wisdom to better know You, and how You want me to live my life.

Amen.

Paradisio, Salvatore Dali

Kalamazoo College Alumni Reunion, October 2o15.

Kevin with Dr. Eileen B. Wilson-Oyelaran and her husband, Olasope Oyelaran.

Dr. Wilson-Oyelaran is the 17th President of Kalamazoo College.