Our dear friend and community member James was the victim of a horrific bicycle accident. They are going to recover, but it’s going to be a long, hard process. They need our help.

On Sunday, November 23, at 8:25 pm, James was bicycling home from work, when the driver of a black sedan struck them from behind. The accident happened at the corner of E Glenn Street and N Swan Road in Tucson, Arizona. The driver fled the scene, leaving James in the road. Luckily, several good Samaritans called 911 and an ambulance rushed James to a trauma center. The police that arrived at the scene feared that James might not survive.

This shocking and unjust accident left James with gruesome injuries. James has two broken upper arms, a laceration on their knee that pierced the joint, a fractured pelvis, a broken orbital bone, a severely broken jaw, and substantial dental trauma. Their entire torso is covered in scabs. A portion of their lower jaw completely detached and is being held on by a metal plate and rubber bands. James is lucky to be alive.

James faces a long road to recovery. They're unable to eat anything but thin liquids and need to learn how to reuse both arms while battling excruciating migraines. They will need comprehensive dental reconstruction. And, of course, the mental toll will be substantial.

As all of you know, James is one of the most positive, joyful, hardworking people on this planet. They are going to recover, but they need our help. This will be incredibly tough.

Some moments are amazing. Yesterday, James said they were glad this happened to them and not someone else because they are upbeat, strong, and can do this. Today, I held their hand while they cried because a migraine medicine was denied. This is a rollercoaster.

James has great health insurance (for now), but it’s unlikely that the hit-and-run driver will be caught. James has months of physical therapy ahead and probably two months before they are allowed to chew food. Their arms will take four months to completely heal. After that, James will undergo numerous rounds of costly dental work just to have a functional mouth again.

Let’s show up for them. They deserve it. Let’s pay their rent and bills while they recover, start to raise the money to fix their teeth, and pay their insurance deductibles. Let’s buy them an exciting supply of soft foods. Let’s show them how much we love them. Let’s do this.