Donate so JT can get back on his feet

Hello, I am Anne, JT’s aunt and his father, Matt Tooman's sister.

On September 30, 2022, JT was in a horrific motorcycle accident after leaving work. A friend was following him in a car and was able to report the accident immediately, which would save his life.

After passing a car on a dark road JT was surprised by an unlit median. He managed to retain control of the bike but was unable to completely avoid a small palm tree which struck his right leg at speed causing grievous injuries including compound fractures of the tibia, fibula, and femur. His pelvis was sheered into two pieces and he broke 3 vertebra. When he looked down he thought “I am either losing my leg or I am going to die”. And he was right.

The quick call to 911 by his friend following him and the rapid response by local police saved not only his life but the upper portion of his right leg. Unfortunately, the lower leg and foot were beyond saving. JT was rushed to Cottage Hospital in Santa Barbara, a Level One trauma center, where they had to amputate his right leg below the knee. They raced to save his life and preserve the opportunity for him to walk again. After multiple surgeries in one day, and then many more since, JT finally stabilized and was moved out of the SICU (Surgery Intensive Care Unit) about ten days after his initial accident.

JT is a strong young man and has a glorious spirit. He works hard every day to fight infection and to heal. JT has a long road ahead but has good reason to believe he can walk again. Insurance will cover a large part of his recovery costs, but he needs help with short- and long-term financial needs.

Short term, he needs help with medical bills and making the required alterations to the Long Beach family home to transfer there to live after the hospital and rehab.

In the long term, he will need continued help with the cost of prostheses to become fully independent again.

The initial goal was $13,000, broken down in the following way:

1) Medical deductibles

2) Building/home alterations for wheelchair accessibility

The next goal is 23,000, looking forward a couple of months, which includes additional medical deductibles (the start of the new year) and other medical needs as we turn to prosthetics.

But really, anything you might be able to donate will go directly to his care and costs. On behalf of the entire family, we greatly appreciate anything you can spare to help give our beautiful JT a chance to have a wonderful life. And if you can't spare funds, please send him your positive thoughts and healing vibes. We will gladly take them all. Thank you.