As you may know, our son Christopher suffered a catastrophic spinal cord injury as a result of a diving accident in June, 2013. Chris burst his C6 vertebrae and damaged his C5 and C7 vertebrae. He had emergency surgery to remove the debris and fuse vertebrae. While the surgery was a success, the ultimate outcome is not. Chris is now a quadriplegic, uses a manual wheelchair and we have been told that he will never walk again.
Chris spent over 67 days at Levine Children’s Hospital Inpatient Rehabilitation. Through incredible determination and intense therapy, Chris has made considerable progress in becoming as independent as possible in spite of his new limitations. Prior to the accident, Chris was an avid guitar and piano player and loved to water ski, passions he can no longer enjoy. However, that hasn’t held Chris back. He has an amazing spirit and will to live life to the fullest. He intends to attend college in the fall, majoring in Biomedical Technology, hoping to someday help improve outcomes for other spinal cord injury patients.
There are many outpatient therapies, trials and studies we would like to have Chris involved in with the hope of furthering his recovery. Fees for home health care, rehab, and doctors’ visits are very high. The physical therapists have recommended specialized equipment for Chris at home that will help increase his strength and flexibility. These are exceptionally expensive and are not covered by insurance.
To help offset such expenses, a fundraising campaign in Chris’ honor has been established with HelpHOPELive, a nonprofit organization that has been assisting the transplant community for 30 years. In 2000, they expanded their mission to include those who have sustained a catastrophic injury. All contributions are tax-deductible, are held by HelpHOPELive in the South-Atlantic Spinal Cord Injury Fund, and are administered by HelpHOPELive for injury-related expenses only. Please consider helping Chris realize his dream of an active life by making a donation.
Please help us in our efforts to help Chris whether it is by making a donation, or just by reposting this anywhere you can. Also, look for fundraising events on his HelpHOPELive webpage.
Linda Smith and Dan Corsi, Chris’s parents
lsmith@smith.com
