Tim Sloan Memorial Fund

Dear friends and family,

You may have heard that my brother, Tim Sloan, recently passed away unexpectedly – days before his birthday; he was only 43 years old. He was 364 days older than me, and we celebrated almost all our birthdays together. He was my older brother, which means he was a pain in my butt. But I love him! Our sister is 17 years younger than me, so Tim and I grew up mostly by ourselves, especially with our single mom working so hard. We tormented each other but were also supportive of one another, but as adults, there were several years we grew apart.

After he started having seizures in his early 30’s, we became closer due to him spending so much time in the hospital. I’ve spent the night in the hospital with him several times. When he was assaulted in 2012, he was in the hospital for a week in a medically induced coma due to the severe head trauma. By then, the running joke was I had my own parking spot at Henry Mayo hospital. I sat by his side, kept a notebook of questions to ask doctors, took pictures, and found a lawyer. I’ve been his emergency contact for the last 8 years. I don’t share this to say that I’m awesome. I say it because that’s how much I loved my brother.

After the brain injury, his memory and reasoning were barely there, but he would always smile and had a positive attitude. He loved hanging out with family and friends. He ate incredibly healthy, walked every day, and he thought he was limitless. He was denied disability benefits because he told them he could do anything – counterproductive to his purpose of getting the financial assistance he greatly needed. He believed he still had the functionality of pre-brain injury. He wanted to get his master’s degree in music so he could teach kids. While he had epilepsy as well as the brain injury, he continued to have a positive attitude and a contagious smile. He loved life, and his attitude was inspirational.

Tim was an amazing brother, very handy and could fix anything. Prior to his injury he would lend his talents to those in need and would always be there when I needed him. I’d call him if I got a flat tire, to fix my brakes, help me move (which I did a lot), fixup our mom’s house and even walk me down the aisle at my wedding. I love you, Tim. I miss you so much!

We are devastated by his passing, and not prepared to cover these unexpected costs. Unfortunately (but somewhat good in this situation), our mom has advanced early dementia, and wouldn’t understand the concept of her son passing. She lives in Tennessee with my sister and her two adorable kids. We’re hoping to collect funds to help with the necessary arrangements (e.g. cleanup of his condo, cremation costs, a headstone in the family cemetery in Tennessee, legal fees, etc.). We are truly grateful for every prayer and donation during this difficult time.