Olson Family Fundraiser

A few years ago, Tim Olson was struck by a car while crossing the street, severely damaging his back, unbeknownst to him and his family at the time. Since then, he has had two cervical surgeries to relieve his ongoing pain. Despite his injuries, minimal compensation was awarded to Tim. Struggling with immense pain despite his surgeries, Tim decided to consult yet another physician who decided that Tim should go through with a third surgery. In January, he underwent a total thoracic fusion. At this point, he has vertebrae C4-T11 fused. After the surgery, the surgeon explained to us that Tim's injuries were more extensive than they had previously thought. His spinal cord was almost completely crushed, and if he hadn't underwent surgery at that time, he definitely would have been paralyzed within weeks. After spending months in the hospital and rehabilitation, and after undergoing an unplanned surgery to cure an internal infection, Tim is still left without any feeling from the waist down. Because of his slow progress, his insurance company is cutting off his allotted time at rehabilitation and he will be forced to move back home with his wife and daughter. Considering this discharge is extremely last minute, the Olsons have not been able to make any accommodations at the home, and Tim will have to live temporarily in a nursing home. However, only two nursing homes out of ten that they contacted are considering taking him.

Because of Tim's size (nearing seven feet tall), he will require a custom-made wheel chair and hospital bed at his home. In addition, he will also need a Hoyer lift to help him in and out of bed, a chair lift will be installed to transport him into the rear of their split-entry home, the top floor's carpet will be replaced with tile, the shower will be remodeled to accommodate his wheelchair and a shower chair is required as well, and all the doorways on the top floor of the house need to be widened. The insurance company will only cover part of the cost of these necessities, leaving the Olson family responsible for the majority these medical expenses. With Tim out of work and his wife caring for him at home, the Olsons are pulling in little income to aid in these finances that are piling up. We decided to start a fundraiser in order to assist in the burden of their medical bills. All proceeds will benefit Tim in his ongoing recovery. If you are interested in donating, please visit the following Go Fund Me page, run by Stephani Damato and Tim's son, Jacob Olson. Any amount is greatly appreciated.