On Saturday afternoon, a healthy, happy and very bright little five-year old boy named Strother Norman was driving back from a day in West Texas picking peaches and riding horses with his grandfather, Jim Norman. Unfortunately, they were involved in an automobile accident where the ‘jaws of life’ were required to extricate them. Miraculously, both of them survived the crash. Each was flown to a separate hospital, Jim to Wichita Falls, Strother to Cook Children’s in Fort Worth.
Strother suffered a spinal cord injury at his T3 and L3 vertebrae, and has no spinal cord function below the T2 vertebrae. He has endured two of several surgeries to come and is facing a very real possibility of loss of feeling below his chest for the rest of his life. His doctors estimate that he will need to be hospitalized for as long as 60 days if things go well, and they expect physical therapy for the foreseeable future.
Prior to this accident, Strother was a very active boy. Swimming, tennis and golf were favorites. Always an intelligent and very sociable child, Strother continues to display a wit and smile upon interactions with well wishers, friends and cousins. It is his hope, and that of his family, that with hard work and a little luck he will return to his busy, happy life as soon as possible!
Even with health insurance, Strother’s family will face many life-long extraordinary uninsured medical expenses. The family is now faced with the financial burden of home modifications, specialized transportation, as well as the purchase of necessary therapy and therapeutic equipment.
To help offset these uninsured expenses, a fundraising campaign in Strother’s honor has been established with HelpHOPELive, a nonprofit organization that has been assisting with catastrophic injuries for twelve years. All donations are tax deductible, are held by HelpHOPELive in the South-Central Spinal Cord Injury Fund, and are administered by HelpHOPELive for injury-related expenses only. If you would like to contribute to this fund:On behalf of Strother, his family and friends, we thank you for your generosity, support and prayers.
Together, we can help Strother live the life he deserves. Thank you, and Godspeed.
Lee Norman, Strother’s Uncle
512.608.7025
[email protected]
