Randall Kidder, the beloved, mega-talented pianist at the First Unitarian Universalist Society of Marietta (Ohio), experienced a dissected aorta on August 20 and was taken to Riverside Hospital in Columbus via helicopter. He had surgery to repair the blown artery at midnight and spent several days in an induced coma. He was in critical but stable condition, and we feared that our dear friend was a goner.

Two weeks after collapsing, he is alert, smiles at jokes, and has a twinkle in his eyes, but he has a long and challenging road of recovery ahead. He required a tracheostomy for breathing via ventilator, as well as a feeding tube, and is connected to numerous other tubes and wires. At the time of the medical incident, he had recently moved from the Washington County Home (which collected 100% of his SSI benefit) into a private apartment. Restoring his SSI to his personal bank account will take several months. And since he can't work as a pianist while he recovers in a rehab facility, his income is currently $ZERO, and his bank account is (presumably) empty.

Friends and family have paid his current rent and the monthly fee for his storage locker, but WE can chip in to cover these expenses, and provide money for groceries and a little bit of pocket change when he finally gets home. Will you help?