*Jen, Dad, and me *


On July 7th, while visiting his brother in St. Louis, my dad fell down stairs and hit his head. He suffered a subdural hematoma to his frontal lobe. Currently he is in a brain injury rehabilitation center in Vallejo, California.

He is able to talk and knows who his family members are but he has yet to be able to remember day to day conversations. He is undergoing therapy for speech, movement, and vocational activities. His wife, Jennifer, is commuting from their home in Cotati, California to help him recover. Along with my brother Cole, Trevor and I are working on how to support him in his recovery.

We are not sure what the future holds for my dad but we are hopeful. I am reaching out to those that I love in the hopes that we can provide some support for Jen as she reorganizes their life to accommodate his therapy and recovery process. The contributions from this fund will go towards gas to and from the rehab center, accommodations made to their home to fit his needs, and unforeseen expenses that may arise.

I will also use this forum to keep loved ones updated on his recovery process.

Thank you,

Maria

For those of you who haven't met my dad, here's a little background biography for you:

Dad is a Professor of Studio Art - Printmaking at Sonoma State University. He has taught an extraordinary amount of people in his 25 + years at the university. He is well-respected by his students and colleagues. Here's his bio page on the SSU site:

http://www.sonoma.edu/art/faculty/kemp.html

And more about his artwork:

http://www.aurobora.com/kurt-kemp/

Recently, he has travelled to New York and China to work with artists and open art exhibitions.

When he’s at home, he can be found working in his studio (in the garage) and out and about with Jen. When time allows, he visits my husband and I in Half Moon Bay and my brother, Cole, in Portland, Oregon. He comes from a family of six kids (Nancy, Kim, Dad, Julie, Chris, and Betsy) all based mostly in the Mid-West. He visits his parents, Bid and Maxine, during most summers and enjoys calling his mom frequently for cooking advice. He and Jen have a dog, Diego, who is their constant companion on neighborhood walks and trips to the beach. Dad is an avid sports fan and a baseball enthusiast. While he supports the San Francisco Giants, the St. Louis Cardinals are his team. He is a friendly and jovial personality and warms to those around him quickly. I hope someday you'll meet him.




*Dad giving a speech at my wedding*

*Dad, me, Trevor, my mom Susie, and my brother Cole*