Tom Green Medical Expenses

Over the past 35 years, Tom has been a staple of the ultramarathon running community.  He was one of the first ambassadors of the sport, and in 1986 became the first person to complete the Grand Slam of Ultramarathons - 4 100 mile races in one summer. Even last year, Tom finished 3 of the 4 races that would have completed another Grand Slam. But even more than his accomplishments on the course is the impact he's had on so many people. Tom has been an inspiration to 35 years of runners with his commitment, determination, drive, and passion. He may not be the first across the line, but he is the first to step up and do what needs to be done. While Tom is a talented runner and a giving person, the reason people keep coming back and wanting to run with and be around Tom is because of his humility. Having a chat with Tom, your take away will not be his 300 ultra marathons completed, not his grand slam. It will be how humble, almost nonchalant and devoid of any ego whatsoever, he is. You can read more about his story in this interview from 2012:  

The First Grand Slammer: Tom Green ‌

On Monday, April 20, Tom was cutting down a very large tree branch in his back yard with a friend. They had planned out how to safely do this, and had years of experience in this kind of thing. The branch fell where it was supposed to, but as it hit the ground, it bounced back up and hit Tom in the back / side of the head. Thanks to the quick response of his friend and a neighbor, Tom was airlifted to the Shock Trauma center in Baltimore, Maryland.

Tom's injuries are severe, and there is still a large degree of uncertainty about their extent. The initial impact caused:
Broken bones in the inner ear
Multiple skull fractures
Bruised carotid artery

The bruised artery resulted in blood clots that broke off and caused several small strokes. In addition to this, there has been cerebral fluid leakage. Tom is currently being kept under sedation so that he can rest comfortably and recover. To aid in his recovery, he is on a feeding tube and breathing tube. He has been moving a little bit, which is good news. Right now, the biggest concern (and biggest area of uncertainty) is in the brain. It will be hard to evaluate that until Tom is being brought out of sedation. Everything is baby-steps at the moment. We are remaining optimistically hopeful about Tom's recovery. He's a fighter, and we know he will work as hard as he can to recover.

Even though Tom has insurance, he will still be left with paying 30 percent of the bill. And, since Tom works as a private independent contractor, there is no disability safety net. We don't know how much the bills will be yet, but the flight alone costs about $15,000. Whatever you can give we would grateful for. We are extremely thankful for all the love and support that everyone has shown, and continues to show, in this difficult time.