Medical Bills for Michael Bergstrom

We are absolutely floored and grateful for the generosity of everyone. Not only are the medical bills taken care of, but because of the donations, the fees and taxes are covered as well. This is stunning, and humbling. I can’t thank everyone enough for the help. Keep standing for equality. We are not free until everyone is free. I love you all.

I’m swallowing my pride here asking for this. But first, story time.

On June 5th, I went to a typical quiet drinking hole that I’ve gone to for the last 15 years or so, a nice place to unwind after a long day of work before going home. This particular night was pretty typical, but no familiar faces and a relatively new bartender. As I sat I started hearing the three men sharing the bar with me getting more and more agitated in their anti-trans talk and “those queers ruining America”. They soon turned their attention to the queer couple playing pool, one who was likely a trans woman. They started heckling them getting meaner. When the woman started walking towards the bathroom the three of them got up and followed her heckling about what bathroom they were going to use.

I stood up and asked them to stop, and return to the bar. They turned and hit me…hard. I was taken down to the floor where two of them held me down while the third worked my face over. Once it was clear I wasn’t getting up or fighting back, they gave a couple bonus kicks along my body and limbs. At the bartenders urging they dragged me out the back door and threw me on the walkway. Another patron followed me out with some towels to help soak up the blood and keep pressure on my face, he was also the one who called the cops. The cops showed up fast, but the assailants and the couple had run out the front door by the time they arrived.

I was brought to the ER by a good friend, where they x-rayed me, ran me through the CAT scan machine and gave me a good ol’ dose of morphine to help with pain and sleep while we waited for a plastic surgeon to come on duty since the split face required a specialist. I was pretty bruised up in a various parts of the body where I was kicked alongside being punched. I have no vision or dental problems and no fractures just pain from the lacerations and tears, plus scrapes and bruising with a very beautiful black eye.

I was on some powerful painkillers and antibiotics for a couple weeks, which impacted my work and life but I healed up well. My face and smile is permanently changed but I’m still proud for standing up for equality.

The assailants are still keeping low profiles. The bartender quit the next morning, and there is no video recording as the cameras are only a live feed to the managers office. So the cops have statements from the few people who were there but it’s likely not going anywhere due to the camera issue.

The cost for getting beat up is $26,000. After insurance we are on the hook for $4,000, which after COVID wiped out savings is a hard pill to swallow. We have money in an HSA but not enough to cover the full bill, and we would love to have a little in there in case our toddler son has a medical emergency being a young rambunctious boy.

Anything will help remove the sting. Thanks for the love everyone.