A Case Western Reserve University medical student known for always giving to others now needs the community’s assistance as he recovers from a near-deadly injury suffered during a cancer research fundraiser.

Life Flight had to transport second-year student Brady Tucker to MetroHealth Medical Center Saturday after he was struck by a hit-and-run driver while riding in Cleveland Clinic’s VeloSano Bike to Cure race.

As of Monday evening, Tucker had been released from the intensive care unit and is “on the mend,” according to friend Austin Woolley, a third-year medical student. “Hopes are high, but it is going to be a long recovery.”

An online crowdfunding site has been set up to help pay for his medical bills; other bills also will begin coming in soon, as Tucker and his wife, Rachel, are expecting their first child next month.

Additional funds will go toward the purchase of a new bike for his commute to and from school, as Tucker’s was destroyed in the accident.

Stan Gerson, Case Comprehensive Cancer Center director and a participant in the ride, passed the mangled bike after Tucker had been flown out. It wasn’t until he checked his email later that day that he learned the bike belonged to a young man he’d just met two nights earlier at a VeloSano kickoff event.

“He was bright, cheery-eyed and enthusiastic about being there and to help out the cause,” Gerson said.

Those who know Tucker well describe him similarly.

“You can’t help but like him,” Woolley said of Tucker, noting his “wonderful sense of humor and booming laugh.”

The two friends met at the start of the 2014–15 school year and bonded over their shared alma mater, Brigham Young University, and love of biking. Though in different classes, Tucker and Woolley teamed up to build a bike pump track in South Euclid so children in the area could have an opportunity to be active.

Lynda Montgomery, assistant dean for student affairs and dean of the Blackwell-McKinley Society in the School of Medicine, noted how impressed she was by his commitment to the project—especially amidst the demanding schedule of a first-year medical student who also is married, awaiting the arrival of a baby and active in his community. Almost immediately upon arriving in Cleveland to start at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, he became a Boy Scout troop leader and a Sunday school teacher.

“That, in so many ways, encompasses the kind of person he is: always stepping up,” Montgomery said.

She noted that Tucker takes the same approach to his studies; in preparation for the birth of his child in August, he was planning ahead, letting his peers know what he might miss and how he could contribute in other ways.

“He is extremely conscientious, and well liked by the students,” she said. “Not only does he want to meet his commitments, but he goes above and beyond.”

To make a donation and follow Tucker’s progress, visit crowdrise.com/bradytuckerrecoveryfund.