Support Zach's TBI Recovery Journey & Financial Hardship

My name is Zach Scanlon.

In October 2021, I sustained a life-altering traumatic brain injury (TBI).

At the time, I was a freelance video producer, bass player in a successful band, and a server at a restaurant in Lexington. I was growing a popular client base within the marketing industry for over 5 years.

It had never occurred to me that in three years I would be unable to return to that life, it has been changed forever. I've been able to piece together low-stress, part-time jobs with extremely flexible hours to accommodate the TBI and Type 1 Diabetes symptoms, leaving my significant-other the main income of our house, along with 3 pets. It hasn’t been nearly enough to make a dent in the 2 years worth of debt built up, and the settlement only covered one month.

One night serving at work, an altercation ensued when 3 men became inebriated at the bar. In trying to protect a waitress from physical harm, I ended up being thrown against the wall, onto the ground, and punched repeatedly in the head. Another man then grabbed me by the hair and tried to pull me to the ground. The man who severely assaulted me ran away. The other who grabbed my hair was arrested and charged.

For the first year, my functioning was severely impaired. Terrible migraines, extreme sensitivity to light, and debilitating brain fog and fatigue made life impossible. Conventional doctors in Kentucky didn’t have any answers.

I stayed with my grandparents in Hilton Head, SC to work with a functional neurologist for a month. The extreme blunt force traumas to the head had severely impacted my optic function. The injury to my optic pathway presented an array of diagnoses, adding to the growing list of TBI symptoms. The stress of recovery has made managing Type 1 Diabetes much more challenging, creating more compounding stress. My more severe symptoms had improved over time, but I continued to experience a general inability to do everyday tasks, like driving, reading, taking my dog on a walk, computer work, and going to the grocery store. I had to give up everything, including my thriving business.

I have come a long way on this healing journey. Experiencing discomfort and headaches have become the new normal. Bad days still happen, but as long as I take proper care of myself they're manageable. I'm unable to return to the computer work I was doing before, leaving me figuring out new career paths, completely starting over.

I’m asking for donations to help cover the financial damages that occurred from this incident. Funds will go to debt relief and general medical expenses.

Any additional funds will be distributed to another person in need facing a similar situation. Charity details coming soon...

Thank you for any and all support. We really do appreciate it!