Help Garrett's Family Through This Tragedy

Garrett DeOrio and his six-year-old son Leo were hit by a speeding truck this past March while biking across an intersection on the way to Leo’s weekly swim lessons. In this split second, life was grossly altered for the family and friends of everyone connected to Garrett and Leo.

Both father and son were rushed to the hospital. Fortunately, young Leo survived; albeit with severe facial lacerations, head trauma, and intense psychological issues that will demand attention for years to come.

Garrett suffers traumatic brain injuries and remains in a coma.

Doctors do not believe he will ever regain the ability to move or speak–ever again. The odds of Garrett ever regaining consciousness are slim to none. Garrett, as we all knew and loved him, is gone. . .

Garrett. the loving and doting father and husband. Garrett, the voracious reader, inquisitive student, dedicated teacher, and dynamic lecturer. Garrett, the adventurer and story-teller, the podcasting, Facebook-posting, music-obsessed, baseball-hooked, political historian. Garrett, the big brother, loving son, and caring friend to so many around the world – from the U.S. to Japan – is gone.

What makes the shock and pain of this situation so excruciating is the crawling and desolating medical process and mounting expenses for Garrett’s care and his son’s care, and the struggle of routine expenses short Garrett’s income. Sorrowfully, his grieving wife, Naho, has been left to carry the burden.

The family is in dire need of assistance and broader community support.

Months of surgeries and medical care in intensive care units, medical treatment and therapy for his traumatized son and wife, mounting legal bills for the ongoing lawsuit over the accident–all have cumulatively distressed his distraught family.

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This past July, close friends and family gathered at Garrett’s favorite pub in Tokyo to celebrate his 46th Birthday. Stories were shared and many connections were discovered. A long-time friend noted that Garrett was always the “great connector” and loved bringing people together and introducing friends.

It is with this spirit of connection and community that we humbly reach out to you for support for Garrett, Naho, and Leo. We beseech you to assist in any way possible to alleviate some of the financial stress on his wife and son during this incredibly horrific time.

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Garrett was a proud graduate of: St. David Catholic School and St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, Winthrop University in Rock Hill, South Carolina, and Temple University for his Masters. Garrett was working toward his PhD in Linguistics from Temple at the time of the accident. Garrett spent the past 25 years in Tokyo, Japan, meeting the love of his life, raising a wonderful son, teaching at Waseda and Musashi University, and lecturing at several other Universities