Support Seth Kurpiel’s Spinal Cord Injury Recovery - Fundraising for the medical expenses insurance does not cover -
My brother, Seth Kurpiel, a married 45-year-old father of two young boys, suffered a catastrophic cervical spinal cord injury on April 6, 2025. The neck injury resulted in his inability to move his arms and legs, and initially, he could not feel anything from the neck down. Seth’s family and friends are raising money to help offset the substantial medical expenses that insurance does not cover. We are grateful to have the help of the well-respected 501c3 non-profit, Help Hope Live, which specializes in fundraising for uninsured medical expenses. Your donation will go directly to Seth’s medical expenses and is completely tax-deductible. Please share Seth’s story and bring him home.
Updates (11)
August 29, 2025
Yesterday we reached a milestone on our journey: it had been 144 days since Seth’s injury; 19 days spent in the neuro ICU followed by 125 days (a record!) in acute rehab at Mount Sinai. 144 days of Seth pushing himself to his absolute limit in order to regain strength and functionality. 144 days away from family and friends and out of any kind of “normal” routine that he had previously known. Last night, Seth was discharged home. Although it was difficult to leave the safety and security of the medical and PT/OT team that had been giving him amazing care, it did feel like the time was right to take that next step. It’s frightening to jump into the unknown of what life will be like at home. Even more frightening than being a new parent taking a newborn baby home for the first time. The last time a transition this big was made was when we left the ICU in the back of an ambulance heading for rehab and had no idea what to expect. It turned out to be the best place for Seth to be at the time. We take that memory and know that together, we can handle an enormous amount of uncertainty. It’s difficult not to make comparisons about what life was like before compared with what life is like now. Our home has had some modifications done to make life easier and there will be more to come. But Seth’s goal was to walk out of the hospital, and walk out he did. We are now settling into new routines and working the kinks out of how best to get tasks done. Seth slept in his own bed for the first time in 144 nights and went for a walk outside today - even going up a hill and over some grass. Seth’s journey is far from over. 144 days seems like such a long time, but it’s really very short when dealing with an injury of this nature. The blink of an eye really. One of the things Seth’s PT said to him on the day of discharge was that, above all else- more than level of injury or type of surgery- the best predictor of recovery after spinal cord injury is the amount of family and friend support. In that case, we are shooting for nothing less than the stars.
August 15, 2025
It’s been 112 days since Seth has been in acute rehab at Mount Sinai. To those of you who have been following his story, you know of the incredible progress he has made. Looking back on videos from May and June when he was only able to move slightly and required maximum assistance with every activity of the day, it really is unbelievable to witness the results that his dedication has brought. Seth is the longest patient to ever be on this unit by over one month, and that is because of the continuous progress he has made from one week to the next. Seth’s physical and occupational therapists have been giving him more challenges, such as one that can be seen in the video link posted with this update: instead of sittting in a wheelchair, Seth can be seeing pushing this extremely heavy piece of machinery around the unit with a patient care assistant going for a ride! This would likely be difficult for just about anyone to do. You can once again clearly see Seth’s resolve to succeed at this rigorous challenge. We are now seeing home on the horizon. Seth will likely be discharged home from acute rehab before the month comes to a close, and so too will this chapter of healing come to a close along with it. The thought of going home brings with it a mixed bag of emotions: excitement, fear, uncertainty, gratitude; although Seth has made tremendous progress, there is still a lot of work to be done. It will be difficult to leave the safety of acute rehab, where the staff now feel like family. It will take many more months of rehabilitation and therapy to continue to build strength. One thing we know for certain is that nothing will get in Seth’s way, and that we are fortunate to have family and friends and a community who will support him. Thank you all for being included in that journey.
Photo Galleries (3)
Guestbook
August 25, 2025
Seth's perseverance through this difficult time is an inspiration to us all! God bless you brother!
Sean Burke
July 5, 2025
Keep up the positive attitude and hard work!!!
You are an amazing person!!!
Praying for a speedy recovery!!!
Fondly
Elyse Lyons
Elyse Lyons
June 20, 2025
Dear Seth and Morgan,
My heart goes out to you and your family. Wishing you a speedy recovery.
Love,
Alison
Alison Kirshner Kalinski
