As most of you know our dear friend Ron Riecken lived a very active and productive life prior to his tragic, fluke accident on August 31, 2013. Ron, a husband and father of two teenage daughters was participating in a relay type race involving an inflatable slide and obstacle course. The slide failed and Ron instantly became a level C4-C5 quadriplegic. After ten days in ICU, where he had to be on a ventilator to survive, Ron was transferred to California Pacific Medical Center for rehabilitation. It was quickly apparent that the goal of “rehabilitation” was to learn how to live with this condition and little more. Unwilling to settle for this, Ron was able to wean himself from the ventilator, was started on a bladder and bowel program and learned how to drive a wheelchair with a “head array” system for steering and controls. The Rieckens’ home was modified and a special van was purchased. In October, Ron returned home.

Ron maintains a positive attitude and is determined to regain use of his arms and legs. He has already made some progress with arm control. Unfortunately, specialized rehabilitation and equipment are not covered by insurance. Yet another uninsured expense is the home health care assistance that Ron requires for several hours a day.

To help with the financial burden of Ron’s uninsured expenses, a fundraising campaign in his honor has been established with HelpHOPELive, a trusted nonprofit organization that has been providing community-based fundraising guidance to patients and their families for more than 30 years. All donations are tax-deductible, are held by HelpHOPELive in the Southwest Spinal Cord Injury Fund, and are administered by HelpHOPELive for injury-related expenses only. Will you please consider helping Ron succeed in making the progress he is determined to achieve by contributing to his HelpHOPELive fundraising campaign? Your generous donation is greatly appreciated.