Brad Smith, the energetic and fun-loving infosec professional known widely as "TheNurse", suffered a serious stroke during the course of his presentation at the recent Hacker Halted conference in Miami, Florida.
Brad underwent surgery and is currently in the ICU where the medical staff are monitoring his condition. The prognosis is positive, but the recovery time is expected to be quite lengthy.
Anyone who has experience in dealing with a serious medical episode knows that the situation can present a multitude of issues for family members and friends, and further complicating Brad's case is the fact that he is currently being cared for in Miami, thousands of miles from his home town in Montana.
The organizers of the Hacker Halted conference, namely the EC Council's Leonard Chin, have graciously extended assistance to Brad's family during the course of the crisis, and the information security community in general has been quick to rally support.
For those who would like to stay informed during Brad's recovery, the Social Engineer website has been thoughtful enough to dedicate a space for periodic updates to be provided by Brad's family.
The updates webpage can be found here:
The Social Engineer website has also provided a means for concerned friends and colleagues to make donations to help Brad and his family with the immense and unexpected financial burden that comes with an extended stay far from home.
Infosec Island encourages those both in and outside of the information security community to make donations to the fund, which can be found here:
Please help us spread the word, keep Brad and his family in your thoughts during his recovery, and donate to the fund today!