My name is Erica, and I’m fundraising for my younger brother, James. Some of you may know him as Frank. Some of you may know him as the owner of The Badger’s Hideaway. In September, James was trimming a tree for a neighbor and fell about 15 feet. This is a very dangerous height to fall from and James was badly injured. He broke bones in his foot, ankle, leg, wrist, and arm. He also fractured a vertebrae in his spine. He was rushed to the ER where he had emergency surgery.

James spent a week or so in the hospital, where he contracted covid-19 which delayed further surgeries. After recovering from COVID, and getting the surgeries he needed, James was sent home to recover. He spent nearly 30 days in the hospital when all was said in done. When he was sent home, he was not able to walk except for a couple of steps with a walker and he needed to rest and sleep a lot.

These kind of injuries take a long time to heal. Today, December 18, nearly four months later, James is doing a lot better. He’s come a long way – walking with a walker and using a wheel chair, when he has someone to push it. He has a boot on his foot/leg, his wrist is wrapped, and he wears support around his torso so that his spine can heal. He recently started physical therapy. He’s been spending time with family and neighbors – though he still tires fast. He has a lot of recovery yet to go. It’s not only physical, recovery, either. He’s having brain fog and at times his mind feels jumbled. He is expected to fully recover, but until then he’s needing some support.

James and his wife, Elana, own The Badger’s Hideaway, an ice cream shop in Arrow Rock, MO. Because James needs full time care, which his wife has been providing, and because the ice cream shop takes two people to run, they have had to shut down. Additionally, he’s not been able to do the work he was doing on the side — construction, tree trimming, and various handyman jobs.

So, as you can imagine, this is a really hard time for James and Elana. I’m asking you to contribute anything you can to help them pay their bills and get through to the spring when, hopefully, James is recovered enough that they are able to reopen the ice cream shop and move past this terrible accident. www.gofundme.com