August 13, 2015 is a day the Barber family will never forget. Their son and brother Joe, who was 18 at the time, suffered a life-changing spinal cord injury while diving into the water at the beach near their home on the Connecticut shore. Joe suffered a C-5 injury and is now paralyzed from the chest down. He has limited movement in his arms and is working every day to regain any movement.

After spending a month in the ICU, Joe underwent four months of acute rehabilitation at Craig Rehabilitation Hospital in Denver, CO, where, despite setbacks, he worked hard every day to make as much recovery as possible. After returning home, he completed his senior year of high school, and is now a sophomore at Southern Connecticut State University. Joe’s goals are to graduate, live a full, productive, and independent life, while hoping for a cure.

The Barbers are facing many ongoing expenses related to Joe’s injury that aren’t reimbursed by insurance. Joe will requires specialized adaptive equipment, intensive rehabilitation therapy and full time care. Any support you would like to give will be greatly appreciated.

To help with the financial burden of Joe’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 Northeast Spinal Cord Injury Fund, and are administered by HelpHOPELive for injury-related expenses only. To make a tax-deductible donation to this fundraising campaign, click on the Donate Now button.

Please check Joe’s campaign page regularly to follow Joe’s progress, send him messages, and learn about upcoming fundraising. To help with fundraising, contact Lydia Williams Keller at [email protected] or 203-435-4615.

Joe, Pat, Meg and their families would like to thank you for your ongoing kindness, generosity, support and prayers.

The Friends of Joe Barber – GO JOE GO!