Two GoFundMe fundraisers have raised more than $40,000 for the family of Oliver Baerman, a 16-year-old Valley resident suffering from a traumatic brain injury as a result of a car accident June 6.
Oliver, a sophomore at Mount Si High School who plays on the football team, is being treated at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle. At the time of publication, Oliver was not awake, but was responsive and breathing on his own, according to updates on his CaringBridge page. CaringBridge is a nonprofit platform that allows patients and/or their families to connect with their support group during a health journey.
Other updates say that Oliver was being transferred out of the pediatric intensive care unit (ICU) and onto the acute pediatric floor. Oliver is also receiving care from physical therapists to start him on his long journey of recovery, according to his older sister, Violet.
Two close family friends — Aprille Balangue and Rachel Harris — started GoFundMe fundraisers to help with medical bills and support the family as Oliver’s mom, Julie, takes time off from her job as a labor and delivery nurse.
“This is going to be a long recovery process for Oliver, so it’s to help support them throughout that time, and they can just focus on being there for Oliver without having to worry about the financial piece of it,” Balangue said.
Oliver is best friends with Balangue’s son and has played football with him for years.
“This is just a wonderful kid that we’re all standing behind and praying for a full recovery so we can get back the Oliver that we used to know,” Balangue said.
Violet said the Baerman family is grateful for all of the support they have received, not only through the GoFundMe pages, but also through the CaringBridge page, which has had nearly 25,000 visits.
“It’s really an incredible feeling to be supported by that many people,” she said. “My parents divorced about five years ago, and that was a really big hit emotionally and financially. … Knowing that there’s a community that’s looking out for us is a really big deal, especially coming from a single-mom family.”
Many who have commented on the fundraiser pages have noted what a kind person Oliver is.
“Oliver is a beloved son, teammate and friend — known for his bright spirit, kind heart and willingness to help others,” Balangue wrote on her fundraiser page. “Now it’s our turn to help him.”
Check it out: The GoFundMe pages for Oliver can be found at gofundme.com/f/join-team-oliver-overcome-brain-injury and gofundme.com/f/rally-for-oliver-and-his-family.
