He suffered a massive stroke in June that left him comatose, relying on a ventilator to breathe and a feeding tube to eat.

Earlier that year, ceiling problems at the family’s home in the 1700 block of Clay Street displaced them. The house was further damaged during the March 12, 2006, tornadoes, and they stayed at the Quest Inn while they tried to get it repaired.

Artis’ final stroke put a halt to those plans, and the situation quickly spiraled downhill, Kim said. While Artis was hospitalized in intensive care from June to August, someone broke into the house and stole most of their belongings, including many of Artis’ original prints.

The theft was a difficult blow to Kim. Not only was the stolen artwork irreplaceable, she realized her husband likely would never draw again. Despite an article in The State Journal-Register about the crime, the pieces were never recovered.

Friends of the family have set up an account for the family at a local bank, one of those things where they encourage you to walk in and make a contribution. In other words, it’s not one of those things set up to take advantage of the Internet. But having just talked to the bank, you can also mail a check or money order in.

You can make the check out to:

The Tom TC Artis and Family Memorial Fund

You can send the check to:

Marine Bank
Attn: Gale Krueger
1401 North Dirksen Parkway
Springfield, IL 62702

Would you please consider doing so? Even just two, three, five bucks. I can’t send much, either, but I’m going to send something.

I think there will be a whole lot of cartoonists in the next two decades that will be in need, and maybe there will be some talk between now and then about other, bigger things that can be done, but right now that’s a family that’s been through a lot that has a specific point of need where I think even the tiniest amount could be a help.