Support Richard 's battle to Recover

Our dear friend Richard Tienhaara is one of the kindest, gentlest people we know. Always a soft word, a listening ear, a supportive smile.

Thus far, he has successfully navigated his battle with Aplastic Anemia (including the road leading up to and through a Stem Cell Transplant in November 2021, as previously communicated, followed by a brutal bout with “Graft vs. Host (GVH)” Disease in early 2022). Thankfully, he has overcome GVH and was continuing his journey to health into May 2022. Yay, Richard!

However, in an unfortunate twist of circumstances, he suffered a fall on May 29, 2022, resulting in a severe brain injury, which has caused him to be transferred between several medical facilities (UMass-Worcester, MGH-Boston and Spaulding-Boston) since then (he’s at MGH as of this writing 9/7/22).

We don’t know what “full recovery” looks like now. The original stem cell recovery time is typically 1-2 years, let alone his brain injury. However, his expenses continue to mount (the initial funds of ~$21k that came in over the last 2 years were exhausted), and his family has had to begin the process of applying for LTD and other services. Please, as you feel a nudge to help pay for expenses, act and share generously. All proceeds will benefit Richard, covering his medical & related costs.

Updates can be found at https://www.caringbridge.org/public/richardtienhaara