Tim Butterworth

Tim Butterworth is a talented musician, a driven performer, a devoted son, a hilarious brother, and a loving uncle.

A fantastic piano player and singer, he is no stranger to the stage, and has played up and down both coasts - if you wanted to characterize his career in any way other than simply "music," "making people smile" would be high on the list. 

Several years ago, Tim was diagnosed with epilepsy, and on August 25th, 2018, Tim suffered a very serious seizure en route to a performance in Oakland, CA. He was rushed directly into surgery upon being brought to the trauma center of John Muir Hospital in nearby Walnut Creek.

Tim had sustained severe head trauma when he fell, and doctors needed to act quickly to reduce the swelling and bleeding in his brain, removing a piece of his skull in the process. He spent the next 3 weeks in the ICU on life support, with a breathing machine, constant IV fluids, and intubated feeding while his doctors worked to keep him alive and bring him back to consciousness. 

Mom (Debbie) and Dad (Frank) flew out to be with him immediately, who were quickly followed by brothers Andy, Jeff, and Jonathan, and girlfriend Natalie. Tim has been moved several times since to Kentfield Hospital for rehabilitative care and treatment, and back to John Muir, where surgeons have replaced the piece of his skull that was removed. He is now in Acute Rehab at John Muir.

It has been a difficult road for Tim. With the damage he received to his brain in the fall, he awoke with only limited control of the muscles in his left side, and no ability to move his right side at all. Communication is a significant challenge as his speech center in the temporal lobe was damaged, but doctors believe that he can regain some of this in time, with daily therapy to redevelop and train the neural pathways from his brain to the rest of his body.

He has seen great progress and wonderful care under the watchful eye of his doctors and therapists, and has even begun to regain his comprehension and the use of his right arm and leg! Mom and Dad have never left his side during this time, taking time away from home and work to protect one of the most valuable things in their lives; Dad even having to resign from his job to be there for Tim. 

While his doctors and family work to provide the very best care for Tim, the road ahead will be very long, and very difficult...

To date, the costs for John Muir are an upwards of $2,162,000, not including the $35,000 bill from Kentfield - much of this will be covered by insurance, but not all, and Mom and Dad's temporary relocation/living expenses in California for the last few months have been a factor. We do not have an estimate for the anticipated expenses of Tim's ongoing care but his co-pays and deductibles will exceed $10,000, and he is in need of handicap accessible items (ie. wheelchair), adaptive equipment, and home modifications that are not covered by insurance.

Tim will be leaving CA (sometime in December) to continue therapy in Boston, which will continue for months. With no ability to work, he will have no income, depending on support from family for ongoing expenses, including increased health insurance costs and everyday living expenses, as he continues on his long road to recovery.

We now need your help to get through this difficult time. His progress is encouraging, but he will have a great deal of work to do before he can get back to the Tim Butterworth that everyone knows and loves. Still a talented musician and performer, we know that he will still be able to bring people smiles, but he will need your help to get there.

Please help us to help Tim bring music to the world again!