Donate to Help Dr. Bowen After a Tragic Accident

Who this will help

Hello, my name is Lisa Anastasi, and I am the niece of Dr. Gary Bowen. Thank you so much for taking the time to read my story. My Uncle Gary is fighting for his life right now after a tragic accident on New Years Eve. If you know my Uncle Gary, you know he’s a pretty special guy who has dedicated much of his life to serving his community as a well-respected and beloved family veterinarian.

Why I'm fundraising

My Uncle Gary was with his wife, Liz, and two sons, Tyler and Mead, when he fell on ice while on a family trip to Iceland, a trip the family had been saving up for and looking forward to for some time. On New Year’s Eve, Gary fell hard while crossing the street with his family, which resulted in a fractured skull and brain bleed that necessitated immediate life-saving emergency brain surgery. He has remained in the ICU in critical condition since the surgery, and has since developed partial paralysis and pneumonia. He has not been able to speak since the fall.

Previously, Dr. Bowen was forced into early retirement due to liver disease, aggravated by a Bartonella species infection that he contracted while providing veterinary care. He subsequently required a liver transplant, and the medication that prevents his body from rejecting the transplant also suppresses his immune system.

The impact of your support

The family is in shock and the medical bills are piling up. Between the surgery, medical treatment in the ICU, potential medical ambulance flight home, and the additional expenses from needing to extend their stay in a foreign country, the running total is accruing in astronomical amounts. While it is too early in the healing process to predict how these injuries may affect Gary long term, possible outcomes include paralysis, cognitive impairment, and loss of speech -- conditions that may incur further costs in the form of in-home care, physical rehabilitation, and occupational therapy. Liz, Tyler, and Mead are doing their best to remain hopeful in the midst of this profoundly catastrophic situation; they just want their husband and father back, yet still need to endure the high stress of the monetary cost required to care for a loved one. Any money donated will be used toward the entirety of Gary’s medical care. Any amount you’re willing to contribute is so deeply appreciated.

For anyone who would like to know more about Gary: Those who know Gary would tell you eagerly of his kindness, integrity, compassion, and generosity. Gary has always loved and cared for others, and readily lends an ear and his time to ease their burdens and those of their pets. He has served his community for nearly 40 years, building personal relationships with his employees, clients and their animals. In fact, after his compromised health forced him into early retirement, Gary decided to become a beekeeper from home so he could continue his work caring for animals and the world at-large. He is a devoted husband to his wife Liz, and a loving father to his two sons Mead and Tyler.

Among the things I love most about my Uncle Gary is the way he shares his joy with others. There is a uniquely playful quality about him, which equips him to see the humor in situations. Uncle Gary is an avid storyteller, and it is often the humor that he has tucked away that shows back up in the stories he tells, often with a twinkle in his eye. He is also a wonderful great-uncle to my own children. On our visits, they love going with their Uncle Gary to feed chickens at a nearby coop. Thank you so much for reading.