Support JoJo and Griff After Tragic Loss

Update as of 10/15/2024: Griff is getting so much stronger after a few weeks of hard work at the in-patient trauma therapy center. Joe and his mom (Griff's grandmother Susan) say that Griff is always cooperative and cheerful and wants to make other people happy. He tells jokes to the nurses.

He still has a weak left hand, but he does special exercises to gain strength and control, especially with fine motor skills. He is re-learning how to walk with a walker and shows improvement every day.

Joe is required to live in the center with Griff to supervise and support him 24/7. That means he still won't be able to work for at least another 4-6 weeks. He had to vacate the house that he shared with Kalyn, so he is looking for a new place for him and Griff to live after Griff is discharged from the therapy center.

Original Story:

The Cause: I'm Jenifer Elmore, and I'm raising funds to help my dear friend Joseph McCloskey, Jr. (known to many as "JoJo") and his four-year-old son Griff with medical expenses and loss of income as they try to cope with the sudden death of Griff's mother in a catastrophic car wreck.

The Tragedy: Around 2 a.m. on Tuesday, September 4, 2024, Kalyn and Griff were returning home to Florida after visiting relatives in Michigan. Kalyn was driving and Griff was strapped into his car seat in the back. As they traveled south near Chattanooga, Tennessee, their car collided with another car head-on at full speed. Kalyn was instantly killed, as was the driver of the other car.

Only Griff survived. The car was so badly damaged that first responders couldn't even see the child in the back at first, but when they did it was as if he had been in a miraculously protected zone. One paramedic described what he saw as "a bubble of protection" around Griff.

That paramedic and two others who saved Griff's life that night are pictured here with Griff. They have been visiting him regularly in the hospital and have become friends with his family. Griff has been surrounded by his dad, grandparents, aunts and uncles from both sides of his family who all traveled to Chattanooga as soon as they were notified of the accident.

The Backstory: JoJo, Griff, and Kalyn lived together in Melbourne, Florida. Though JoJo and Kalyn were no longer romantic partners, they lived in the same house because that was best for their son. JoJo is a loving and dedicated father who has always been present and involved in his son's daily life.

On the evening of Labor Day, just hours before the accident, JoJo enjoyed a happy phone call with Griff and Kalyn from the hotel where they had stopped for the night. Kalyn texted Joe a photo of Griff goofing off in the bathtub and one of him enjoying a KFC meal in his pajamas. He looks so healthy and happy in those pictures!

Why Kalyn later left the hotel and got back on the highway that same night is unknown. Maybe she or Griff had trouble sleeping. As JoJo told his mother, Susan, "I think she really just wanted to get back home."

The Damage: Griff was not externally injured in the accident, but he was unresponsive and had to be resuscitated at the scene. He had several minutes of CPR and had to be intubated. He was transported by ambulance, stabilized in the ER, and admitted to the ICU. His injuries are related to swelling in his cervical spine and other neurological effects from the extreme impact of the car crash.

On Sunday, Sept. 9, he was taken off the ventilator and gradually eased off the sedatives. On Wednesday, Sept. 11, he was moved from the ICU to a regular room.

The Future: Griff is expected to make a full recovery, but it will take time and lots of therapy. Physical therapy to help him recover from the trauma to his body. Psychological and emotional therapy as he processes the trauma of losing his mother.

The doctors have told Joe that Griff will most likely be in the hospital for another week or two (for a total of 2-3 weeks), then in an in-patient therapy center for as long as two months. Joe will need to live near the therapy center and spend time with Griff every day--not just because he wants to be near his son, but because the doctors say it's crucial for Griff's recovery.

The price tag: Because Joe's full-time job is in Melbourne, Florida, and the therapy center will definitely be in a different city and possibly in a different state, Joe is looking at up to three months without income. On top of that, he will no longer have Kalyn's income to help pay the family's regular expenses for rent, utilities, car payments, and insurance. To make Griff's return to regular life as comfortable as possible, Joe would like to keep paying rent and utilities for the house in Melbourne and then (he hopes and prays) return to the same house and his same job after Griff is released from in-patient therapy.

He will also have his own living expenses to pay for during Griff's hospitalization and therapy, and then there will be all the deductibles, copays, and possibly uncovered medical expenses. None of those totals is known at this point, but we are estimating that Joe will need at least $20,000 to maintain the house in Melbourne, to cover his own living expenses for up to three months while he is away from work, and to start paying any medical bills that may come due during that time.

I pray that you will read this story and find it in your heart to donate what you can afford to this loving father and his amazing son. They have a long road to recovery from this trauma and grief, so let's do what we can to help them. Whether you can afford to give money or not, we ask for your prayers!