The Vine Scaling Back Operations Due to Health Issues; GoFundMe Created to Aid In Recovery

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A GoFundMe has been created for pescetarian restaurant The Vine, which has had to cut back its operating hours and service after its co-owner, Tyrone Flowers, posted an emotional message on Instagram on Thursday morning about his unknown health issues.

Tyrone Flowers, The Vine Co-Owner opened the pescatrian restaurant in late May of 2023. File Photo.

“We don't know what the ****’s going on with me,” explained Flowers. “Doctors don't seem to seem to know, there’s lots of tests that still need to be done.”

On April 9, The Vine first went on reduced hours after a trip to the ER according to their Instagram post. Since then, the restaurant has operated on some days with reduced hours and cancelled events. The Vine could not be open consistently due to Flowers’s health issues, which could possibly be a stroke.

“We really haven’t been able to open much since the beginning of April due to debilitating migraines, fainting spells, confusion during service and many more symptoms,” said Lauren Mortlock, Flowers’s spouse and co-owner.

She started a GoFundMe on Wednesday with a $10,000 goal to help the couple during this period while Flowers recovers.

“We still have specialist appointments, CT scans, MRIs and more ahead of us before we get any answers and with no income coming in it’s hard to keep going,” explained Mortlock. “We are looking for financial support to get us through a month or two while he recovers from what we have been told could be a stroke.”

Flowers reluctantly agreed to the GoFundMe only as a last resort.

“Lauren set up a GoFundMe which was really hard for me to say okay to because if you know me, you know that I hate asking for help but that’s where we are,” he explained.

Flowers and Mortlock are known for giving back, providing free community meals, running animal-fundraising initiatives, giveaways and more.

The GoFundMe has nearly reached $3,000 at the time of this article’s publication. Flowers said he will update the public as often as he can.

Donations to the GoFundMe page can be made by clicking here.

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