Hat Trick Brewing will host a ‘Tap Party’ fundraiser to support local illustrator with ALS

When Lindsey Merrell first laid eyes on Jon Merrell at Whitworth University in 2004, she knew she had found the one.

“I was just starstruck, and I was like, ‘He’s it for me. That’s my man. I’m going to marry him,’ ” Merrell said.

The tall, mysterious stranger who she referred to as the “hot art boy” was a fellow art major in the year ahead of her. She intentionally joined a class he was a teaching assistant for to spend more time around him. Unbeknown to her, Jon did the same thing for a class she was a TA in.

It wasn’t until they finally started talking in a class together that they noticed the feeling was mutual. Ever since then, they’ve never been apart. The pair married in 2008 and welcomed their now-9-year-old daughter, Ellie, in 2015.

Art is an integral part of their life as a family. Not only did they both hold careers in the art field, but they love to spend time creating together as well, making clever diptych prints and filling notebooks with doodles showing each family member’s unique artistic flair.

But when Jon was struck by a vehicle on his bike ride to work in 2021, all of that changed. The life-threatening crash broke just about every bone from the waist up, and he had to be resuscitated from death twice. After waking from a coma and taking a brief break from art, he slowly began to get back into his typical creative outlets.

Then last August, less than two weeks before his 42nd birthday, Jon received a devastating diagnosis.

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, commonly known as ALS, is a terminal degenerative nervous system disorder that progressively weakens muscles until they atrophy, then paralyze. Though treatments are constantly improving, there is still no known cure.

Prior to the diagnosis, Jon was the sole wage earner for the family, illustrating advertisements for local businesses and posters for bands. But since the disease stripped motor control from his arms and hands, he’s had to retire from his professional art career, leaving the family in economic uncertainty.

“It’s been crushing for him because art and playing guitar were his two favorite hobbies, his livelihood and his outlet,” Lindsey said. “Once he lost motor control of his arms, it was a huge change.”

In the wake of this life-changing diagnosis, the Spokane community has pitched in to support the family. A previous GoFundMe raised enough money for the family to take their dream vacation to Hawaii. A new GoFundMe created to support their evolving medical needs has raised $9,000 so far out of its $30,000 goal.

On August 30, Hat Trick Brewing will host a “Tap Party” fundraiser to help the family renovate their home for greater accessibility as the disease progresses.

Leading the event is Emily Gwinn, a close friend of the Merrells for 15 years. After seeing that Hat Trick Brewing was involved with Ales for ALS, a nonprofit raising money and awareness for ALS through beers, she had an idea.

“When I first met Jon and Lindsey, Jon was a big home brewer,” Gwinn said. “I home brewed and I made stuff that was barely drinkable, but his beer was always pretty on point.”

She proposed a “brew day” at Hat Trick for people to gather, enjoy barbecue and recreate his fond memories by brewing their own beer. The parties agreed, and next week they will be creating a special ALS SUX IPA beer. Though the brewing process is for close family and friends, the beer will be served to the public at the Tap Party.

The party will feature live music and artwork for silent auction, including original illustrations and jewelry by the couple’s daughter, Ellie. The event is still a work in progress, and anyone interested in providing live music, art or other support for the family is encouraged to contact Gwinn at gwinn.emily@yahoo.com.

“These expenses that are going to come up are going to hit this family hard, and the only thing I can do is hopefully host an event that we can raise some funds at and help them support Jon’s journey through this process,” Gwinn said.

Though the process has not been easy, the Merrell family has found ways to adjust and cherish their time together. They’ve recently picked up Dungeons & Dragons, which mostly relies on players’ imaginations.

And Jon still continues to create art, albeit in different methods. Using computer technology that recognizes facial cues, he can create digital illustrations and 3D print them into stamps for printmaking. Some of these works will be on display at Terrain Gallery this December in the couple’s joint art show, Time Dilation.

Losing the ability to illustrate has been anything but easy for Jon, Lindsey said. But she doesn’t look at his change in artistic methods as a negative. She looks to the legendary visual artist Henri Matisse for inspiration. After his mobility became limited from surgery, the 20th-century oil painter switched to the more accessible medium of collage. These later cut-out pieces became some of his most renowned works, defying the idea that his physical condition would cease his creativity.

“As his health deteriorated even further, it became him just dropping paper onto a canvas from his bedside. So very different from his oil paintings from when he started, but there’s still artistry in that,” Lindsey said. “I’m trying to frame it like that, like it’s not that you’re getting worse or your art is bad, or things like that. We’re just shifting how it’s done.”