Dear Family and Friends,
This letter comes to you on behalf of our dear friend and relative, Joan Harding. As you probably know, Joan suffered a severe, life-changing spinal cord injury as a result of a devastating fall in her home on December 27, 2009.
After three emergency surgeries at Mass General Hospital and more than five months at Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, Joan now faces life as a wheelchair-bound, C-5 quadriplegic with no use of her legs and only very limited use of her arms. Ironically, prior to her accident, as a Registered Nurse, Joan’s professional life was dedicated to the care and comfort of the severely disabled; now she is one of them.
Although Joan has medical insurance, there are many things she will need that are not covered; among them are: home accessibility modifications, a modified mini-van, special rehabilitation and home care equipment, durable goods and supplies, non-covered and out-of-network services, home help aides and therapists, and the list goes on. Non-insured costs could easily exceed $250,000.00.
Joan’s family and friends are raising money to help pay for these uninsured medical expenses associated with her catastrophic injury. Joan has chosen to fundraise with HelpHOPELive Catastrophic Injury Fund in part because HelpHOPELive provides both tax-deductibility and fiscal accountability to contributors. Donors can be sure that funds contributed will be used only to pay or reimburse medically-related expenses. Please consider a contribution:

Make checks payable to:
HelpHOPELive Northeast Spinal Cord Injury Fund