Help Taylor recover from a major skull and brain injury

Update: Thank you so much to everyone who made the initial fundraiser a complete success! Unfortunately there have been complications with Taylor's implant, so we are raising our fundraising goal. For the details, please take a look at the "Updates" section further down this page.

Dear friends,

There's no easy way to say this, but on March 8th Taylor Simmons suffered a nearly catastrophic Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and skull fractures in a freak skiing accident. Now he’s on a long, expensive road to recovery.

We’re urgently asking for your help to reduce the overwhelming financial burden of this accident for Taylor so that he and his loved ones can focus on healing.

Many of you know that Taylor is always the first to offer help to anyone that needs it and is the last to ever ask for help for himself. He's raised thousands of dollars for other people going through emergencies; now it's our turn to do that for him. Please help us return the care that Taylor so generously gives by donating to this campaign today.

--- About the accident ---

Taylor was on a ski trip in New Hampshire with his wonderful partner, Olivia, and our close group of friends. Taylor began down the hill first, and was just out of sight when the accident happened. Two skiers in the chairlift who witnessed the fall told us later that Taylor was completely in control, but then "suddenly tomahawked directly into the mountain."

Olivia arrived moments later and found him unconscious, bleeding, and convulsing from a seizure. His helmet had an enormous crack in it from the impact.

Ski Patrol arrived within minutes. The lead patroller, Yarrow Farnsworth, did an incredible job getting Taylor down the mountain. She didn't give up on him for a single second. Our hearts are overflowing with gratitude for her actions, and those of the other two patrollers on the scene, Sammy Kernan and Samuel Colbeck.

Taylor was airlifted to Dartmouth Hospital and within an hour he was in surgery for multiple hemorrhages in his brain. An entire section of Taylor's skull had to be removed in order to reduce the life threatening swelling and pressure. Our extreme gratitude goes out to the DHART helicopter crew, the surgeons, and nurses that provided Taylor with incredible care during these critical moments.

Throughout all of this, Taylor was unconscious and on a ventilator. That first night was terrifying as we waited to hear if Taylor would wake up and be able to breathe on his own. Miraculously, the next day he did.

--- Taylor's current condition ---

We can't sugar-coat this. Taylor's alive and in good care, but he faces an extremely challenging and expensive road to recovery.

The immediate life-threatening injuries in Taylor's brain were addressed, but he will be missing the right front quarter of his skull for at least six weeks until his next surgery. The left side of his skull is fractured. His short term memory was lost but is returning.

Despite all this, shockingly, Taylor was discharged from the hospital and is able to move forward with recovery from home. His condition is improving but he is vulnerable to complications. In early April, Olivia took him to the Emergency Room at JW Ruby Memorial Hospital where he was admitted for another surgery to relieve new swelling from cerebrospinal fluid. He’s back home now, being watched closely by loved ones.

We will share major updates on this page during the coming weeks, so please check back soon!

--- How you can help TODAY ---

Right now, the most immediate and impactful way you can provide support is by making a donation to this campaign for Taylor to help cover medical and related expenses. We project this accident will cost him over $50,000 out of pocket, and likely much more, not even beginning to take into account lost income while he is recovering.

Can you make a donation of $10, $100, $1000 or more? Please give as generously as possible.

To all those that can join us in this campaign, we are enormously grateful. We also understand that not everyone is in a position to do so. If you cannot donate to this campaign, please share this fundraiser as widely as you can and keep an eye on this page for updates.

--- How the funds will be used ---

This is thankfully quite simple. 100% of all raised funds will go directly to Taylor's medical bills and expenses associated with the accident. It will be some time before Taylor is able to return to work, so as needed, he and Olivia may use the funds to cover lost income for essential expenses. As his Domestic Partner, they have decided Olivia will manage the funds.

--- In Closing ---

THANK YOU. We are so grateful for your support. Any donation, big or small, will be impactful for Taylor during this challenging time. We know their community is strong and will support them in every way we can.

With our deepest gratitude,

Eric and Kalia Carey, Jennie and Billy Reams, and all of Taylor’s friends who know and love him

--- About Taylor ---

Taylor Simmons has become a mainstay in his local town. In college he played rugby and studied biology, and that's also where he met his partner, Olivia. The two of them have been close ever since. Around town many of us have met Taylor through his bartending, or just by talking with him while he and Olivia walk their dogs, Tom (Tom Bombadil) and Brim (Celebrimbor). Everyone who has met Taylor knows that he has a quick wit and loves to crack a joke, but is also naturally gifted at making people feel comfortable and heard. Taylor deeply cares about helping out those around him and has regularly helped his friends with everything from moving to large projects to raising money for unexpected emergencies.

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