A fundraiser has been established online to help cover the medical expenses of veteran Batman artist Norm Breyfogle, who suffered a stroke last week, leaving the left-handed illustrator paralyzed on his left side.

According to the campaign, launched by his brother Kevin Breyfogle and sister-in-law Wendy Wiegert, the 54-year-old Breyfogle has no health insurance and a savings eaten away by his hospital stay, yet requires months of care and physical therapy at a nursing home.

A day into the effort, it's raised nearly $16,500 toward its $200,000 goal, which will be used to cover the $10,000-a-month costs of the nursing home (Wiegert and Kevin Breyfogle say that Medicaid is expected to begin covering those expenses after six months).

"Norm as touched many fans throughout his career as a professional artist and now needs all of our help," the campaign page states. "Norm has helped so many with his generosity throughout the years and has saved others lives in nearly the same situation of those in need of medical care expenses."

In an email with writer, and CBR columnist, Ron Marz, Wiegert explained she "would not be alive today" if it weren't for the generosity of Breyfogle, who paid for her surgery two years ago when she had no health insurance. "I owe this man MY LIFE!" she wrote.

"We are still beside ourselves with this happening at such a young age," Wiegert added, "but will be here for him what ever he needs."

Best known for his work in the late 1980s and early '90s on DC Comics' Batman, Detective Comics and Robin, Breyfogle co-created such characters as Anarky, The Ventriloquist and Zsasz. In recent years, he has drawn DC's Batman Beyond and Trinity of Sin: The Phantom Stranger and Archie Comics' Life With Archie.