My friend Tony Giardina would be thrilled to hear I am getting to know his grandson Jake

But not this way.

Jacob “Jake” Giardina is a patient at Craig Hospital in Colorado in the beginning stages of a long journey trying to recover from a severe spinal cord injury incurred when he dove into his cousin’s backyard pool about a month ago. A pool he dove into hundreds of times before. He is 23 years old.

I want to know Jake because I want you to know Jake.

He and his family need our prayers, our support and our financial assistance and knowing him will help us do that. One way to accomplish the latter is to attend a fundraiser next Sunday at the Red Mill tavern in Pittston, a place where Jake worked. More on that in a minute.

Jake’s accident and the fundraiser were brought to my attention by my friends Billy Joyce and Shawn Casey, a couple of successful guys with big personalities and even bigger hearts.

The best way for me to learn about Jake is to talk with him or his parents, I told the guys, but I had no intention of disturbing them during this crucial and emotionally draining time. They understood and agreed. And promptly put me in touch with Angel Noone, a close friend of the family.

Through Angel I was able to communicate with Mary and Anthony Giardina and even Jake, himself. They are all at Craig, a world-renowned rehabilitation center specializing in treating individuals with spinal cord injuries. It was founded in 1907 and was highly recommended to them. His parents are confident this is where Jake needs to be.

With Angel’s assistance, I learned what a remarkable young man Jake is and what a solid, loving family the Giardinas are.

The more I heard about this family, the more I thought of the 1981 best-selling book “When Bad Things Happen to Good People.” In it, author Rabbi Harold S. Kushner says when bad things happen to us, God offers comfort and strength, and the community support needed to survive it.

“We are a very religious and spiritual family,” is one of the first things Jake’s parents told Angel to tell me. “We have great faith in our Lord and the power of prayer. We are deeply planted in that faith to help us through Jacob’s healing and recovery process.”

Jake is a 2021 graduate of Pittston Area High School where he played baseball. While contemplating a career path, he has been a driver for Northeast Eagle and a bartender at the Red Mill.

But the role he enjoys and cherishes most, I’ve learned from his parents, is that of big brother. His sister Isabella, 21, is a senior biology and pre-med major at the University of Pittsburgh where she also plays club field hockey. His brother Silvio, 19, is a sophomore at Lehigh University majoring in finance and playing shortstop for the Lehigh Mountain Hawks.

“Jacob is very proud that he was responsible for naming Silvio,” his parents wrote. He was 4 at the time.

“He and his siblings are extremely close and spend all their time together,” they added. “He is their biggest supporter and confidant, and Isabella and Silvio think Jake is the absolute best brother. He is super kind and has the biggest heart.”

They asked that I share this: “Our family is intact and for that we are extremely grateful. Our support system is magnificent. We have the greatest community, friends and family and we are leaning on them every day through this process. We will never be able to thank everyone enough for this outpouring of love for Jacob. We are a positive and large, loving family. We will take each day at a time, celebrate each ‘win’ Jacob has on his road to recovery and be with him every step of the way. Jacob is literally the glue in our family.”

And Jacob made a specific request to add this in his exact words: “I am thankful for my best friends Zach Elko and Tyler Wassel who responded immediately, my cousin Joseph O’Malley for calling 9-1-1, and our greatest friend Michael Callahan and my sister Isabella for their continued CPR until EMS arrived. I also want to thank our community for standing behind me and supporting me and my family. Right now, I am working hard every day at my recovery. I am determined and committed to do the work necessary for my body to heal.”

The fundraiser at the Red Mill is from noon to 5 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 27.  Cash donations will be accepted at the door. There will be raffles, a cash bar and limited food menu.

Donations may be made online at helphopelive.org/campaign/28253/.

Cards and well wishes may be sent to Jake at Craig Hospital, 3425 S. Clarkson St. Englewood, CO 80113. Attention: Jacob Giardina

Ed Ackerman writes The Optimist every Sunday.