Four years ago I was looking for ways to broaden my horizon and get more involved in the community when I came across Brookstone School. For those of you who don’t know much about it, Brookstone School is a non-profit, private school for low income children in urban Charlotte that provides its students with a high quality Christian education they might not have access to otherwise. When I walked into the school for an information session, I quickly realized there was something special about the place. I signed up for the lunch buddy program and was assigned a 1st grader named Tyler Nelson. Tyler is now in 5th grade and we have had lunch a few times a month consistently for the past 4 years. He is a funny, compassionate, smart kid and you can see Christ’s light shining through him. It’s been an awesome experience getting to know him. He’s raised by a single, working mom and has a 25 year old brother named Jabari. With school starting back up (sort of), I was excited to get to back into our routine (even if over facetime) and hear about how his summer was. Turns out it has been a very long summer for Tyler’s family. In early July, his brother Jabari was nearly killed in a terrible car accident with a tractor trailer that resulted in severe brain trauma.
It’s a miracle that Jabari is still alive and his rehab is off to a great start but they have a long road ahead. Tyler’s mom has had to step up to help her son and they have moved to a bigger house so Jabari can move back in for what will likely be at least a year of rehab because he can’t support himself in the shape that he is currently in. As if being a single working mom trying to work while assisting a 5th grader’s virtual school wasn’t enough, she now has to help facilitate rehab as well and help financially support Jabari through this tough time. I have no doubt the Nelson’s will come through this stronger, because of their faith in the Lord and God’s amazing grace, but there’s no doubt this is a stressful time.
If this at all tugged on your heart strings I’ve attached a GoFund me link below that the family has set up to cover the hospital and rehab bills that aren’t covered by insurance. With all the other challenges facing them right now, the burden of keeping up with the bills is the one place I know that F3 Nation can help out. Every little bit helps. Thanks – and when things open back up, go check out Brookstone!
https://www.gofundme.com/f/jabari-nelson039s-medical-expense
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