If you’ve ever been inside Levin & Company, Healdsburg’s wonderfully creaky bookstore next to the bakery on the Center Street side of the plaza — basically the opposite of formula retail! — you’ve likely run into Aaron Rosewater, who co-owns the store with his mom, Adele Levin. And now, Aaron’s family needs our help. He’s currently in “the fight of his life” at the UC Davis Medical Center, according to a GoFundMe campaign launched a week ago in support of Aaron’s wife, Gwen, and their son Emile. As of this Tuesday morning, the campaign has raised more than $36,000 of its $40,000 goal. The fundraising page says:
What started as a severe case of Influenza A quickly turned into a devastating medical crisis — one that has left him in critical condition for over a month, enduring countless complications and setbacks.
Aaron has battled multiple infections, kidney failure, liver complications, and pneumonia — each hurdle requiring urgent medical interventions, intubation, and sedation. After 19 days on a ventilator, he briefly regained the ability to breathe on his own, only to face another pneumonia setback that forced doctors to reinsert the breathing tube and eventually place a tracheostomy. His body is struggling, but he is still here, fighting.
Throughout this nightmare, his wife and son have been making exhausting trips back and forth between their home and the hospital, trying to be by his side while managing daily life and mounting financial burdens. On top of the medical crisis, they are now facing an overwhelming financial strain. The medical bills are starting to pour in, and bureaucracy is making it nearly impossible for his wife to set up payment plans — adding an extra layer of stress to an already unbearable situation.
Aaron is the rock of his family. His wife describes him as the “oak tree” that holds everything together. Now, as he fights for his life, they are in desperate need of support to navigate the staggering medical expenses, travel costs, and the long recovery ahead.
If you can donate, every dollar will help ease the financial burden on his family. If you are unable to give, please consider sharing this fundraiser and keeping Aaron in your thoughts and prayers. They need all the strength, love, and generosity that this community can offer.
Donate here. Aaron’s mom Adele, who opened Levin & Company more than three decades ago, has also been posting updates on Aaron’s condition on her personal Facebook page. Late last week, she wrote:
“As many of you know, Aaron, my son, is gravely ill and is at UCDAVIS. He is getting the best of care and Davis is now known as the best medical facility in the country. Aaron and I are the owners of LEVIN & COMPANY in Healdsburg and is much beloved by all who know him. He has shown some slight improvement in the last day and we are hopeful that he has turned a corner. Our minds can now turn to the overwhelming cost of all this care. The bills are starting to roll in. The Bookstore is the support of Aaron and family. It is a modest living but thanks to community support we have been solid for 32 years now. Gwen Rosewater has set up a GoFundMe site for Aaron and the family. I know that most of my friends are people of modest means but at this time we ask for your contribution, no matter how small.”
Yesterday at UC Davis, Adele said she was encouraged to see him sitting up and watching basketball. She also wrote: “The Rosewater and Levin family are overwhelmed but not surprised at the incredible response of our beloved community in helping us to deal with the financial burden of Aaron’s medical bills. I cannot walk down Center St. without constantly being stoped by someone asking me how Aaron is. What a town. Bless you all.” And, finally: “It takes a village to heal a Bookseller 😋❤️.”
Note from Simone: This piece originally appeared in the weekly email newsletter I write for the Healdsburg Tribune, called Healdsburg Today. Subscribe here!
