Local Artist Critically Injured in India
Sometimes we forget how great our healthcare system is here in the U.S. While we should strive to investigate and improve (see Bernice Young’s prison healthcare pitch for a great example,) tragedies like that which recently befell local artist Hollis Hawthorne remind us how lucky we are to have reliable access to competent medical facilities.
Ms. Hawthorne was traveling in India last week when she was critically wounded in a motorcycle accident on a crowded overpass. Thanks to a full-face helmet, a passing van of helpful German tourists and the heroic efforts of Ms. Hawthorne’s boyfriend (who kept her breathing with CPR throughout the harrowing 30-minute ordeal) the 31-year-old Bay Area resident was safely delivered to a nearby clinic, where she was transferred from facility to facility before finally reaching a modern hospital in Chennai. Though media outlets in her home state of Tennessee have been quick to pick up the story, there’s been little coverage here in the Bay Area except among local bloggers.
Hollis is still under treatment at Apollo Hospital in Chennai, where she remains in a coma despite the doctor’s best efforts. Though there has been an outpouring of support and goodwill among the people of India (Apollo is one of the best hospitals in the country) the Hawthorne family is desperately trying to secure funds to bring Hollis home. Stanford has graciously offered free treatment if the family can get her back to the Bay Area, but they need help in securing medical transport and personnel to ensure Hollis’ safe return.
The family has already pooled their resources and taken out a second mortgage on their home, but they’re woefully short and aren’t able to secure a loan in this economic climate. In desperation they’ve been forced to rely on the goodwill of the community, who have already donated thousands of dollars towards Hollis’ medical transport expenses. Friends of the family have already begun to stage fundraisers in NY, Portland and the Bay Area but the faster we can reach our goal the better. Neurological treatment is exceedingly complex (see Andrew Rosenblum’s pitch on the future of local neurological care) and since Hollis suffered severe head trauma it’s important we bring her back to the trained specialists at Stanford as soon as possible, so please take a moment to spread the word and donate your time, money or ideas for getting her home safely.
With newspapers across the country slashing local budgets or abandoning them entirely, it falls on the blogging community and community sites like ours to keep local residents informed of what’s happening in their neighborhood. Please come out and join us this Thursday to support our local artists and bring one of our most talented home.
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This is a stellar story, that people are able to raise funds in a battered economy to bring Hollis home. Almost two weeks after the incident, and there’s still no nod from mainstream media. SFBG.com blogged the story and hopefully SF Appeal and other new media will pick it up. Obviously we don’t need the Chron/SFGate. Hollis is an amazing person!
Every bit has helped. This global community is awe-inspiring!. Thanks for the coverage.