On Oct. 1st, Ben Barthel, 42, was faced with an unexpected event. He needed the help of specialized surgeons and suffered a seizure post operation. Barthel, who works for the fire/emergency services department, is beloved by his community.

In just one day the community raised over $15,000 to support Rylee and Shane.

In a split moment, Big Ben (aka friendly giant as some may know him) needed the help of specialized surgeons. Due to the swift response of the firemedic department, he was taken out of the City to have emergency surgery. The surgery was successful, however he did sustain a stroke post operation. Barthel has a long road of recovery ahead with the potential for lifelong changes.

Currently he is out of cardiac intensive care and remains in hospital. His family, children, grandchildren, colleagues and close friends have been supporting him from near and far. He is recovering well but all of this will take time.

Barthel has a large network of people who extend far and wide from childhood friends, clientele from the good ol’ ‘Mort’s’ days, his involvement with charities and schools that have been close to his heart, his team on the fire departments, fashion show peeps and the list goes on.

Since his hospitalization, many people have reached out asking “how can I help?”, “what can I do?”

According to the release, “Ben has a strong work ethic. He worked extra shifts, working at a second job to support himself, the lives and future of his children. Because of this change in life circumstance, he will not be able to leverage on these extra sources of income.

“We are hoping to have a fund set aside to alleviate his burden. Should down the road if the funds aren’t required and as Ben would have it, he can choose to donate the extra money to a charity dear to his heart.”

To donate or find out more information visit https://www.gofundme.com/for-ben039s-recovery.