Support Justin’s Brain Recovery Fund

Hello everyone, We are reaching out to you with a heartfelt plea to support my brother-in-law Justin’s care throughout his challenging journey of recovery from a traumatic brain injury.

Justin faced a six-week coma and is now in the rehabilitation phase, fighting every day to regain his strength and independence. Recovering from a traumatic brain injury poses unique challenges, but he is demonstrating incredible resilience on his path to healing. The goal is for Justin to regain his independence, former life and be an active caregiver to his two small children. Their tight-knit family is confronting not only the emotional toll of this traumatic event but also the significant financial strain that comes with extensive medical care.

Your generous contributions to this GoFundMe campaign will directly aid his wife Lauren in providing the best possible care for her husband's recovery. The funds will be allocated towards essential medical bills, hiring nursing and aids for at-home care, transportation to and from medical appointments, and additional therapeutic services. Your contribution, no matter the size, will make a significant impact on alleviating the financial burden their family is facing. This has been the most difficult chapter of their family’s life. Your kindness and generosity will make a real difference in their journey towards healing.

 Thank you for your compassion and support.

 Kirk Gendron

From Justin’s wife Lauren:

For those who don’t know Justin and I have been together for 20 years, are childhood friends, and have been married since 2011 and have two amazing children. Justin is a master of global politics, pop culture, and music. He is a self-taught guitarist from an early age and has been in multiple bands, but in his adult life, he decided to dedicate himself to learning the jazz guitar by taking formal lessons. He would stay up late learning the scales in his workbooks. Our house was always filled with music from sunrise to sunset. He is also a sweetheart, loving, and empathic person. He was a basketball star in his youth and later transitioned into powerlifting, routinely squatting over 500 pounds. His muscle memory, honed through years of dedication, has helped maintain the physical strength we saw on day 1 from emerging from the coma. His versatility extends beyond the weight room; he's a practitioner of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu as well. Justin's nurturing side is also evident in his role as a father, as he used to wrestle with our two kids nightly, fostering their love for physical activity. Back when we lived in Brooklyn, Justin and our son Coleman would walk over to the gym hand in hand and train together. Our daughter Elliot grew up in the gym watching their every move, and she, at five years old, is participating in karate and is starting wrestling. In recent years, Justin has embraced long-distance running, completing 10-15 miles a day and even setting his sights on running the NYC Marathon next year. His tenacity and commitment to his physical fitness are remarkable, and he possesses the health markers of someone much younger than his 43 years of age. Our family is devastated, heartbroken, and traumatized by this entire experience but we are hopeful with Justin's intellect, physical strength, and dedication he will make a great recovery.