Last summer, shortly after arriving at a mountain lake, life changed for Nick Harris when he mistakenly dove into shallow water. Nick suffered a spinal cord injury at his C5 and C6 vertebrae, paralyzing him from his chest down. After only six weeks of therapy in the hospital, Nick was sent home, dependent on his parents for every aspect of daily life. Nick began intensive rehabilitation; this therapy has proven to be invaluable as the more he exercises the more movement and control he regains. We are all confident that with continued therapy, Nick will make great progress.
Prior to his accident, Nick was very active and athletic. As a Sonora High Varsity Baseball player, Nick had spent several years working hard to achieve success. He also loved fishing and was always out on one of our local streams. Nick has never been one to sit out a challenge and as his father, I know that he will only continue to set and reach new goals.
Despite the long, hard road ahead of him, Nick has remained focused and determined to beat the odds and someday leave the wheelchair behind him. He has already recovered some sensation throughout his body and legs and has started to have some muscle activity below the level of injury. Nick looks forward, not back. With your kind support, he will be able to continue his rehabilitation and acquire adaptive equipment necessary for him to regain his independence. The personal cost of this accident has been overwhelming and much of Nick’s future rehab and equipment is not covered by insurance.
To help with the financial burden of Nick’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 illness-related expenses only. Please consider making a contribution.
Thank you for your love and support in this very difficult time.
Arlan Harris, Nick’s father
209-352-7344
[email protected]
