Jessica Mathews / news@whmi.com


Community support is being sought for a Fowlerville teen who was seriously injured while riding his electric scooter in his neighborhood and remains hospitalized in critical condition a week later.

14-year-old Jonathon Van Slyke is a freshman at Fowlerville High School. On Monday, September 14th, he was seriously injured while riding his electric scooter and suffered a severe traumatic brain injury. He was transported to Sparrow in Lansing, where he underwent emergency brain surgery, and was later flown to C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital at the University of Michigan. The family says he remains in the ICU and “has a very long and uncertain recovery ahead of him”.

Jonathon’s Aunt Sheila Sarkozi told WHMI he unfortunately fell backward and did not have a helmet on and hit the back of his head really hard in just the right spot, causing significant brain damage, and he had to have a portion of his skull removed to relieve pressure. She said it’s “just very sad for the whole family and a really scary situation because it was really a freak accident and Jonathon is just such a great kid who loves archery, video games, and making people laugh”.

Sarkozi said Jonathan’s parents Kristine and Rob and their family are really involved in the community, both in Fowlerville and Howell, and they’re just hoping to get as much support for them as possible following the tragic accident, stressing “they appreciate everyone’s support and donations so far; and all of the prayers and love they’ve gotten has been phenomenal”. She said Jonathon was scheduled to undergo an MRI on Monday night - which will hopefully help determine what kind of brain damage they’re looking at.

Kristina is a longtime server at Olden Days Cafe in Fowlerville and actively volunteers and supports the archery program. Rob is a 20-year plus Costco employee, and Jonathon’s sister, Kayla, is a sophomore at Howell High School and also volunteers as an assistant cheer coach with Howell Area Junior Football & Cheer.

Sarkozi said “so many people from Fowlerville, Howell, the archery community, HAJFL, Olden Days Cafe, Costco, and beyond have already stepped up to help this family with meals, donations, prayers, and support. We have created a GoFundMe to help with the financial impact of Jonathon’s hospitalization and recovery, as well as a Meal Train for gift cards”.

Below is the GoFundMe description:

“Our 14-year-old nephew, Jonathon, was seriously injured Monday evening while riding his electric scooter in his neighborhood in Fowlerville. He is in the ICU at Sparrow in Lansing with a brain bleed and severe swelling.

The pressure on his brain became high enough that doctors had to perform emergency surgery and remove about half of his skull to relieve it. Since then, the pressure has come down significantly, which we are so thankful for. However, he’s not in the clear - he is still on a ventilator and in an induced coma so his brain can rest and heal.

Jonathon is a Freshman at Fowlerville HS. He is sweet, funny, carefree, and loves archery and video games. He has been a fighter his whole life, and right now we are holding onto every little win and praying hard that he keeps fighting.

His parents, Kristina and Rob, have been by his side day and night. His sister Kayla is hurting right alongside them. She’s a sophomore at Howell High School and volunteers as an assistant cheer coach with HAJFL. Right now, she’s taking some time away from school and coaching to be with her family and focus on her little brother.

This is going to be a long road. Kristina is a cherished server at Olden Days Cafe and is loved by so many in the Fowlerville community, and Rob works at Costco where he’s been employed for nearly 20 years. With both of them needing to be with Jonathon, income is going to be affected while medical expenses, gas, food, household bills, and everything else continue piling up.

They did not ask us to do this. We are doing it because we love them and want them focused on Jonathon, not money.

If you can donate, send a gas or food gift card, share this fundraiser, mow their lawn, or help take one small thing off their plate, it would mean more than you know.

Please keep Jonathon, Kristina, Rob, and Kayla in your prayers.

Keep fighting Jonathon!”


Meanwhile, any local community groups or businesses wishing to aid the family in coordinating fundraisers can contact Sheila Sarkozi by email at sheilasarkozi@gmail.com.

Links to the GoFundMe and Meal Train are provided.

There's also a Facebook group titled "Rallying Around Jonathon and the Van Slyke Family".