Yellowknifers have set up a GoFundMe in support of Adam Scarf and his family while he recovers from a major brain bleed in an Edmonton hospital.
The online campaign has raised more than $26,000 in four days.
Scarf, known by friends as a “karaoke master” and the “glue who keeps us together,” has yet to wake up following brain surgery.
He collapsed while on vacation in Edmonton on Oct. 18 and was taken to the Royal Alexandra hospital where doctors found a major bleed on the left side of his brain. It required immediate surgery.
His long-time friend and one of the GoFundMe organizers, Jestine Amora, said Scarf was lucky to have been in Edmonton when this happened.
“We don’t know what kind of support he would have received here or whether he would have been medevaced to Edmonton,” she said. “We’re really grateful it happened there.”
“The surgery was successful but we don’t know the extent of the injury yet, but the next step is for him to wake up,” Amora said.
Amora and Scarf have known each other for 25 years — they both went to Mildred Hall School and grew up in Yellowknife together.
Amora said she’s not surprised by the response to the GoFundMe campaign, which quickly surged past the initial goal of $10, 000.
“He is just so loved by his family, friends, co-workers and the community… we just want to see him come out of this strong,” she said.
Amora said additional donations are still welcome as the full extent of Scarf’s injuries and how they will affect him long-term is still unknown. Health-care staff are saying recovery from a major brain bleed could take a year, but that timeline only starts after he wakes up, according to Amora.
“It’s scary because he’s only 30 years old,” she said. “The worst part is not knowing how long this could go on for, as there are a lot of unknowns right now,” she said.
Amora said she and fellow organizer Courtney Jung started the fundraising campaign to make sure Scarf’s family is financially supported so they can be close to him during his recovery.
His relatives are staying at a hotel near the hospital and are taking time away from work to do so.
Scarf’s mom, Stace Mahe, posted an update on the GoFundMe campaign page on Oct. 26: “He’s getting great care but there’s not many signs of him waking up, although he does look at me from time to time and squeeze my hand.”
She thanked everyone who has donated saying, “…it makes the most difficult time in our lives a little easier both emotionally and financially. You have no idea how much each and every one of you means to us and to Adam…”
Scarf’s mother had been the only person allowed to see him in person due to Covid-19 restrictions in Alberta, but said in her Oct. 26 post that his father, Brett, was finally able to spend some time with him that day.
For more information and to donate, visit Adam Scarf’s Journey to Recovery page at GoFundMe.com.