Fundraiser for my pops, Steve

Hi guys, my name's Joel Cocciolone. I'm a filmmaker here in Los Angeles that also cares for my physically and mentally disabled father. I've put together this Gofund me in hopes to help him recover/recoup/survive after suffering a series of horrible tragedies while simultaneously battling physical disablement and severe schizophrenia, disassociation, PTSD and delusions of grandeur.

Recently my father was forced to sell his house in Florida because he was just simply not able to maintain it any longer. So, we decided he would move out here to Los Angeles to be closer to me so that I could assist him with starting fresh in California and living a somewhat normal life. Unfortunately though, while parked and on the phone with me to tell me he'd arrived in Los Angeles, he was slammed into by an uninsured driver. His truck, live-in trailer and nearly all of his belongings were completely destroyed. He suffered multiple broken bones and a large laceration to his head resulting in 21 staples. Because the driver was uninsured, and without any source of income or assets, my father essentially lost everything in the blink of an eye.

What has happened and is happening to my father is heart-wrenchingly unfair and as well a prime example of the misunderstood mentally ill and their subsequential ostracization from society so, I'm doing everything I can to help him weather and overcome this tragic moment in time.

I think it's important to provide the back story for context so I've provided an in-depth look into my father's unfortunate situation as a whole below...

When I was 16 years old my father started suffering or started suffering passed the point of keeping it under wraps, from schizophrenia. I remember the exact moment and every single thing about it when my father let me know what was going on. it was just him and I in his truck. He ran a red light while his attention was pulled to a voice he was listening to outside of the moving truck. I was of course worried, I knew something was wrong. I yelled just a bit when he ran the red light because it was illegal and a busy street in our small downtown area, this brought him back to focus and the lost eyes he looked at me with as he told me that he needed to go to the hospital have been with him since. This was very scary and difficult for me to accept at that age. See, my father was an alcoholic for a long time, so clearly he wasn't a good husband, but he was a good father considering. He was and still is vastly intelligent with a well into a genius-level intellect, and to this day has performed the single most incredible feat of intellect I've seen with my own eyes. So, you can see as a 16-year-old, watching a man start to fall victim to such a ravenous mental disease was and still is extremely hard to deal with.

That was 20 years ago.

At first, the disease wasn't too severe. The voices were there but, it was something that he was able to lock up when need be and he still was able to be present within the framework of reality. As my older sister and I grew up and into our own lives, my father was able to maintain, not a completely normal, but an almost normal life back then.

Fast forward to roughly a year ago. My dad is forced to sell his house because he is no longer physically able to maintain it.. He fixed up my sister's old broken down ford f150 and built a small bed area into a large trailer filling the rest with a lifetime of his belongings. He had a pretty solid plan to move his entire life to Los Angeles to be closer to me since life was getting more and more difficult for him on his own after being run over while riding his bicycle, breaking his spine and multiple other bones also causing a serious decline with his mental health. There's only so much my sister can do while having her own family and career. She and our whole family also recently suffered the loss of her oldest child, only months after his high school graduation.

So, my father sold his house for a couple of hundred grand and spent some money to have his teeth taken out to be replaced. He planned to buy a small piece of land near me and build a tiny A-frame with plenty of private space for him to relax and cope with his illnesses in peace while still having a human experience in California in his ladder years. He would have me help him with things and navigate life, an idea he and I had been talking about for the past couple of years. It now has been almost 10 years since I moved to Los Angeles and worked my way out of a Subaru outback to become a semi-successful well awarded independent filmmaker/writer/actor/artist person finally just breaking through (I hope lol ). I was excited to be able to have him here eventually but, one key variable here is that I'm on the verge of breaking through, getting ready to negotiate a feature and hopefully a series, not yet negotiated or made though. So, when my father told me he was coming out let's just say I was a bit under-prepared just in general and extremely underprepared for what was to come.

My physically and mentally disabled father makes the cross-country road trip from Florida to California. I phrase it like so, so we move away from the narrative that mentally disabled means: completely unable all the time. That's not the case. I talk to him on the phone every day along his journey. After a couple of weeks of traveling, he arrives in Los Angeles. He pulls off of the busy 10 freeway to an adjacent truck pull-off to give me a call to let me know he's in town. I'm excited that he's here, I was only financially able to go home twice in the 9 years I've been gone, so I was excited to make up for that time. I could hear the excitement in his voice to start a hopeful new chapter close to me. But as luck would have it, while we are on the phone I hear what sounds like a bomb going off then metal bending and breaking on my father's end, followed by him screaming my name over and over. He was hit while parked by a driver that lost control on the freeway, cutting across 3 lanes of traffic, slamming into the side of my father's trailer and truck at 70mph+

My father suffered broken bones and a laceration to his head resulting in 21 staples. His trailer and truck were totaled and most of his lifelong possessions were completely destroyed. If that wasn't bad enough, the driver was not only uninsured but also had no source of income or assets whatsoever. My father lost everything within the blink of an eye.

I sought out an injury attorney who looked into the case but ultimately denied representation because there was simply no money to acquire from the person at fault.

From that day forward began a living hell for him and me both. Because my home was small and my father needs privacy, he had to then move into a cheap motel. We had to rent a car, rent a storage unit for his remaining belongings which all quickly added up. He then had to of course buy a used truck and a new trailer. The plan had now changed. We decided to get him a small pull-behind rv/trailer that he's able to live in and pull around while looking for a smaller piece of land on which he could set his trailer and find some peace. I would then be able to get back to work in hopes to generate more income to help him recoup some of the lost funds.. but after going from campsite to campsite to campsite, at times being harassed and thrown out due to his episodes which causes him to yell out in anger at the voices while in his trailer, loud but harmless. The literal tens of thousands of dollars spent towing and repairing the *Penske certified used truck, which we just did again last week in the rain at 3am. So, as you guessed, he is down to the very last of his funds. Though my family and I are doing our best to support him, with such a massive loss of finances in an instant it's impossible for us at this time.

I did make a move into a new place that allows me to have my dad and his truck and trailer parked in front of my spot, essentially just across the sidewalk, so he can plug into my electricity and water. I have cables and a hose running through my dining area and soon-to-be kitchen, but it's totally worth knowing he's safe. I also chose a busy and loud area to allow him to blend into the city sounds during his frequent episodes. I had to decide to move away from the neighborhood I'd called home for the past 8 years but, to make sure my dad didn't end up just another broken-down trailer on the LA streets, was completely necessary.

So, due to the extreme nature of the concern for my dads well being/ survival I've taken such measures as this gofund me campaign. All the donations to this campaign will go directly to him, to help him recoup his immense financial loss as well as provide for his basic living essentials beyond what I can do for him and would be beyond appreciated.

I'm continuing to work as hard as I can to further my career as a filmmaker while caring for him, in hopes of soon being able to buy a house for us both as he's simply at the point where he can't do this on his own anymore. It's the only real option I have considering all the variables honestly so, will not give up until I succeed.

In the meantime, I have also currently set up small online Cards and Collectibles shop selling my collection of extremely rare and cool items. The proceeds will help me maintain the current situation that allows me to have my father here with me. It's not the best, I do have to deal with the Sheriffs and the City quite often, but I'm trying my best to make it work for now.

In truth this was a very hard thing to do, I'm a very prideful person that wants to do it all on his own. The fact of the matter, is most people in my father's shoes end up on the streets simply because of a lack of understanding or resources. My father yells out in pain and anger almost constantly now. That's not a very welcomed trait at any living facility whatsoever and is met a lot of times with frustration from others. My family isn't poverty stricken yet in this day and age even doing all we can isn't enough to help my father just have a sense of a human experience which is heartbreakingly wrong.

So, if willing please FIRST: check out CardsNCollectibles on TikTok and Ebay, as well as my art available for purchase on my website https://Joeldotcom.com or if you're a producer of any sort, please take a look at my body of work and hire me! All the money I make directly helps my father. At this point, it's he and I vs the world.

THEN, if none of these things are of interest to you but you still have the means and the want to help my pops then please donate here.

The funds between this Gofund me and my income will help him get his dentures, which not having teeth has been a huge source of stress for him, gas, groceries, medical, repairs/maintenance, help with utilities, Rv dump fees etc.

I'm also open to questions and dialogue with anyone that would like to know what I've learned during this situation as a whole. Mental illness affects many and can be difficult to discuss and navigate as an individual family member or friend.

I also intend to develop a film dedicated to this issue to provide more awareness and hope to those just holding on while caring for a mentally ill loved one. This shit is not going to break us.

Thank you all from the bottom of my heart if you even stuck around to read that all. I fucking love each and every one of you.

Thank you,

Joel Cocciolone

*gofund me suspended the fundraiser because apparently I was offering an incentive with my paintings so I'm required to say that I can not offer any kind of incentive for your thoughtful donations.