After former UCLA offensive lineman Amir “Nick” Ekbatani was in a severe motorcycle accident about two weeks ago, his close friend Kim Macedo saw the medical bills begin to add up.
Since then, Macedo has led Ekbatani’s family, co-workers and fans in an online fundraiser to help pay for expenses, such as a stay in a hospital’s intensive care unit.
Driving down Pacific Coast Highway, Ekbatani, 25, suffered a damaged left leg, broken femur and fractured his skull in three places. He was taken to Harbor-UCLA Medical Center where the lower part of his left leg was amputated.
“The first day I visited him, I saw his physical state and it was really upsetting,” Macedo said. “When I got home, I knew I had to do something to something to help and try to get others to help.”
Macedo decided to start a website called The Big Nick Fund to raise funds for Ekbatani’s medical expenses.
The Big Nick Fund was started only two days after the accident, with a goal of raising $50,000 to forward on to the Ekbatani family. In the future, that money will also help cover physical therapy for Ekbatani, who will eventually be able to use a prosthetic.
“Honestly, I thought we would eventually get to $50,000, but I was expecting it to take a year or so,” Macedo said.
Instead of a year, it took less than two weeks to break $60,000, even though the average donation was a little more than $73.
Ekbatani, who works for ESPN High School as an analyst and event coordinator, received countless Tweets and Facebook posts from fellow journalists, former teammates and fan bases ranging from UCLA to USC, in support of the fund.
Johnathan Franklin, rising redshirt senior running back for UCLA, tweeted, “@nickekbatani God Bless You! You’ve inspired me to stay strong through my hard times and circumstances. Keep shining bro.”
Donations came from everywhere as the hashtag “BigNickFund” spread across the Internet.
“That was all on Nick,” Macedo said. “He’s always had this infectious personality and he’s made an impact on so many people. The community really came together and supported someone who made a difference in so many lives.”
Ekbatani attended South High School in Torrance before playing football at Los Angeles Harbor College for one season. Ekbatani then transferred to UCLA where he played from 2006 to 2009. He started every game on the offensive line in 2008.
Current UCLA defensive line coach Angus McClure worked with Ekbatani as a tight ends coach for three years, and was thrilled with the support shown by the community.
“It’s been amazing seeing not only his teammates, but his former classmates and Bruin fans stepping up and helping out with the fund,” McClure said. “It says a lot about Nick and what kind of person he is.”
In addition to creating the website, Macedo helped organize a car wash Saturday in Torrance where they also sold Big Nick Fund bracelets.
The event raised an estimated $4,000 on washes alone and took the Big Nick Fund total to almost $65,000.
“It was a huge success,” Macedo said. “It was all his community. His high school, his family and his local friends all showed up and came through to help him out.”
With all of the support coming in, Ekbatani released a short video thanking everyone who helped.
“I love you guys. Thank you for all your support,” Ekbatani said in the video. “You guys mean the world to me and my life would not be complete without you. Thank you so much.”
If you would like to see more on The Big Nick Fund, go to www.gofundme.com/venb8.