Support for Brian & Annette
Goal:
USD $100,000
Raised:
USD $72,256
Campaign funds will be received by Sandy Winkelman
Support for Brian & Annette
This fund is set up to support Brian Winkelman and his wife Annette for medical bills and the inability to work for the upcoming weeks. Brian runs a permaculture business in our suburban Chicago community. He is a local leader in this domain. All who know him agree that he is an exceptional man in his mission-driven work, his strong faith, intelligence, and deep love for his family and friends. On April 10 Brian suffered a devastating accident while cutting down a tree branch. His fall off a ladder resulted in a broken neck and a lengthy surgery at Loyola. He is expected to go through an extended recovery period due to the nature of the spinal cord injury he sustained.
Brian’s wife Annette is also self employed. She has the same strong values of her husband for her work, faith and family and community connections. Her ongoing work as a chef, health coach and a healthy eating expert inspires, educates and assists people to live healthier lives.
These two individuals are beloved for their big and generous hearts, values, leadership qualities, and their dedication to improving lives, communities and the environment. They now face large medical bills and extended time off work. Please join us in showing our appreciation and love for this couple by giving what you can to lessen the financial burden, and allow them to focus on Brian’s healing that is required now. These crises do indeed remind us how much we love and value our family and friends. We are all so very grateful for Brian & Annette and all the joy they bring to us. Let’s lend a hand to them now.
Thank you,
Brian & Annette’s family and friends
Recent Donations
Keep up the great work.
Believing with you! God is good!
I believe in the healing hands of the Master Physician Jesus Christ. Lord please touch every cell and fiber of Brian's body give each strength and healing. I believe in You Lord. I/we all thank you in advance in the precious name of Jesus l/we all PRAY Amen and AMEN!
May Gods grace shine upon you!
Thinking about you and your family and sending positive thoughts your way.
Always on my mind, praying for you
Hi Brian and Annette, I read about the hardship you are going through on a LinkedIn post. I hope you recover and have the possibility to go back to doing the great work you are doing. Sending kind thoughts to your family from Copenhagen Denmark.
Hi Brian and Annette, Read about your story through a LinkedIn post. I hope you guys recovery quickly, fast and well. Prayers from your new friend from The Netherlands, Amsterdam. Best, Huseyin
Updates
Brian’s Update
November 16th, 2024
Dear Friends,
It’s been some time since our last update, and we wanted to take a moment to share Brian’s progress and reflect on this incredible journey. Over the past seven months, Brian has faced unimaginable challenges, but his determination and courage continue to inspire us all.
Since his injury, Brian has worked tirelessly in therapy to regain strength and independence. Each day brings its own set of trials, but with the support of his care team, family, and this amazing community, he’s made incredible strides forward. That being said, the road to recovery remains long, and the financial burden has been overwhelming.
Spinal cord injuries come with extensive costs—medical equipment, home modifications, therapy, and ongoing care. With Annette out of work to provide him with the care he needs, it’s been a humbling experience to lean on the kindness of others. But your generosity has truly been a light in this journey. Every prayer, share, and donation has made an impact.
Today, we ask for your continued support. As the holiday season approaches, could you consider adding Brian to your gift-giving list? Even the smallest amount can make a big difference in covering his therapies, equipment, and care, helping him continue to move forward in his recovery.
Thank you for being a part of this journey with us. Your love and compassion remind us that we are never alone, even in the toughest of times. We are endlessly grateful for each of you.
With love and gratitude,
Brian, and Family ❤️
Update #3
June 25th, 2024
Apologies for the delay in updates!
As a family, we've been extremely busy spending our days, nights and overnights with Brian.
Our core group - Annette, Brian's parents (Gerry and Sandy) and Annette's parents (Frank and Jadz) - have been putting in countless hours around the clock to support our main guy!
He's making great progress, and is currently at RML Hospital in Hinsdale, which is called an LTAC, long-term acute care. This LTAC is specifically designed for people to wean off of ventilators. Since Brian is still utilizing a ventilator to help support his breathing, he was transferred to RML to help him learn how to breathe on his own again.
As a birthday gift (his birthday is May 14th), he was medically cleared from Loyola Hospital ICU to transfer to RML, and the transfer happened on May 16th - this was an answered prayer! As soon as he's able to wean from the ventilator, he will be advancing to a rehab facility to broaden his physical, speech, and occupational therapies. He's doing well - with a few steps forward, and a few steps back - but all in all, more steps forward than not, so we'll take it! All of your continued prayers and healing energy are working and so very appreciated. Thank you for your blessings, and we pray for God to continue blessing you always!
Love, Brian's family :)
Update #2
May 11th, 2024
Just a quick update as of May 11, 2024: Brian is stable and has had pretty steady vitals for the past 10 days, Praise God! He's still in ICU and on the ventilator, so prayers for him to breathe 100% on his own, get weaned off the ventilator soon, a fully functioning nervous system, and also for strength to get through this emotionally and physically, in Jesus' mighty and victorious name. He is in pretty good spirits considering the circumstances. Trying to get him transferred to an LTAC (long term acute care) to get weaned off the ventilator, then transferred to rehab. This is a process, and we so appreciate all of your prayers and other means of support. We pray that you're blessed over and above the ways you're blessing us. Love all of you! -Annette
Update #1
April 21st, 2024
Thank you from the family.
Your generosity is beyond gracious and we love every single one of you.
Prayer Requests
Click the Pray button to let the campaign owner know you are praying for them.