Nathan Vale should have been singing at Temple Church on Sunday morning.
Instead, he was in an air ambulance.
The English National Opera tenor was cycling into central London on October 18 when a driver hit him.
His supporters say the driver was travelling at high speed.
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Vale broke both legs, an arm, several ribs and his collarbone.
Doctors put him into a medically induced coma to control the pain and give surgeons room to operate, as reported by Creatorzine.
Intensive care, and one piece of good news
Vale remains under round-the-clock intensive care while surgeons repair his fractures one by one.
The news on his head injuries, at least, is positive.
The rest is less simple.
“The road to recovery will be long and challenging,” his supporters wrote.
“During this time, Nathan, his wife Non, and their young daughter face a significant and immediate loss of income.”
A family facing an unknown bill
Friends launched a fundraiser for Vale, Non and their daughter within days.
Nobody knows yet what his rehabilitation will cost.
Organisers want the money to ease the immediate pressure first, then cover future care and whatever expenses the recovery throws up.
Donors moved quickly. By Thursday, October 22, the organisers had posted an update.
“We are completely overwhelmed by the extraordinary love and generosity shown towards Nathan, Non, and their family,” they wrote.
“The funds raised so far will go a immensely long way towards relieving immediate anxieties over lost income, while also providing a crucial buffer for Nathan’s future recovery and rehabilitation costs.”
Non asked them to pass on her “immense gratitude”.
The page stays open for as long as the recovery timeline stays uncertain.
Which could be some time.
From Handel prize winner to the Bolshoi
Vale trained at the Royal College of Music and the Benjamin Britten International Opera School, studying under tenor Ryland Davies.
An Independent Opera Vocal Scholarship then took him to the National Opera Studio.
He won the London Handel Singing Competition and took the Audience Prize too, a rare occasion when judges and paying public agreed.
His stage roles span the Bolshoi Opera, English National Opera, Glyndebourne Festival and English Touring Opera.
On the concert platform he has sung with the Aarhus Symphony Orchestra and the RAI Symphony Orchestra.
Why It Matters
Vale earns a living the way most of the creator economy does.
Freelance, paid by the booking, with no employer to cover a bad month.
Singers lock in dates months ahead, and every one he misses is income gone for good.
When your body is the instrument, there is no working from a hospital bed.
Crowdfunding has quietly become sick pay for the self-employed, whether they sing Handel or post on YouTube.
The Vale appeal is one more example of friends and fans doing the job no safety net does.
There is no word yet on the driver. Or on when Vale might sing again.
