Austin Somerville

THE STRENGTH OF THE LION

According to the Dana and Christopher Reeve website, christopherreeve.org, and the National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center (NSCISC) located at The UAB Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, in the year 2015, the average cost for a 25 year old in the first year after a spinal cord injury similar to Austin’s injury is $3,451,781 to $4.7 million. Each and every year thereafter for the rest of their life is $113,423,00.. These totals are only for medical and physical care, not basic costs of living. Since Austin was 16 years old at the time of injury and it is now the year 2022, his financial costs are greater than those stated above. Even with medical insurance, many needs are not covered by insurance. Your TAX DEDUCTIBLE donation will be managed by Help Hope Live and paid DIRECTLY to all merchants and all services for Austin’s present and foreseen needs, therefore you can be assured your donation is securely used for necessities.

Thank you for your interest and encouraging Austin to move forward in all healing! -PLEASE READ ABOUT AUSTIN BELOW-
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On May 15, 2020, at the age of 16, Austin sustained a catastrophic spinal cord injury when he broke three cervical vertebrae in his neck in a swimming pool accident. He was immediately paralyzed from his chest down with very minimal arm movement. Thankfully, his friend saw him faced down in the water and rescued him. At the ER, he was diagnosed with quadriplegia, which means all four limbs of his body are affected with paralysis. Austin was paralyzed from his chest down through the rest of his body. The following morning, Austin underwent surgery to stabilize his neck which required two titanium rods and 10 screws from cervical 4 to thoracic 2 vertebrae. After 12 days in the NeuroTrauma ICU at Greenville Memorial Hospital, he was transferred to Shepherd Center in Atlanta, GA for their Spinal Cord Injury Inpatient Program and their subsequent Day Program. He was there for six months, then came home for four months to have his second Baclofen pump surgery and recovery. On April 5th, 2021, he was back at Shepherd Center for their Beyond Therapy program, which, due to the 1st annual Tee It Up For Austin golf tournament, there was enough financial funding for Austin to stay in for the rest of the year!! Austin is now ready to move on to a more intense physical therapy program for the next level of recovery.

Austin has always been very physically active. He loves golf, running, lifting weights, fishing, hiking, and basketball. He was always doing something with his two older brothers or his friends. Despite the physical challenges he now faces, he is determined, focused, and optimistic about working hard to regain more of his physical abilities so he can live his best energetic life.

Austin is best known for his big smile, his loving and compassionate heart, patience, steadiness, honesty, forgiveness, optimism, humility, loyalty, respect, and genuine faith in Jesus Christ. He will “stand” alone if he has to. To know Austin…. is to love Austin. He is unforgettable.

Austin excels in his online academic schooling with S.C. Preparatory Academy. He has had to take a year off from high school to recover and rehabilitate from his injury. Austin just completed his Junior year as 3rd in his class and he will graduate high school this December 2022! After graduating, he plans to attend Clemson University in Fall 2023, unless the Lord directs him otherwise.

Austin’s recovery has already been miraculous, but all of us are hopeful for more! He has feeling and movement throughout most of his body even though some muscles are very weak. He is presently using a manual wheelchair due to a good amount of strength he has regained in his arms and torso. Austin has gone from paralysis chest down to some movement, then after many months of daily therapy, slowly walking with a walker, and now he can even walk with arm crutches! Since all of his skeletal muscles, except for most of his hands, have detectable muscle movement, his physical therapy and rehabilitation is crucially important to his future abilities. All neural connections, nerves, and muscles need to be strengthened to their maximum ability. Austin needs to continue this therapy to help his body correlate and be strengthened together. For these reasons, we believe Barwis Physical Therapy is where he presently needs to be. (www.barwis.com).The cost is $110. per hour of intense physical therapy. He needs a minimum of 4-5 hours a day for 16 weeks.
Austin is willing to do the hard work for months and years to come. He greatly desires to walk and be able to use his hands again. He would love to have to have the Baclofen pump removed from his spine and abdomen because he has overcome the spasms with ability. We are really hoping for that. There are some internal organs that need healing and functioning as well. He is determined and dedicated to be the best he can be.
Let’s help him get there!

As mentioned before, Austin’s daily care, recovery, and rehabilitation costs are extreme. Even with insurance, there are many out-of-pocket expenses as well as necessities that are not covered by insurance at all. With your help, the financial burden our family faces will be eased.

If you do not feel lead to help financially, then please help in a greater way….
Please PRAY for healing and restoration in the name of Jesus Christ.
John 10:10, Romans 8:28, James 5:14-16

May God Bless You!
The Somerville Family

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Family and friends of Austin Somerville are raising money for the nonprofit Help Hope Live to fund uninsured medical expenses associated with Catastrophic Injury.

Austin has chosen to fundraise for Help Hope Live in part because Help Hope Live assures fiscal accountability of funds raised and tax deductibility for contributors. Contributors can be sure donations will be used to pay or reimburse medical and related expenses. To make a tax-deductible donation to this fundraising campaign, click on the Give button.

For more information, please contact Help Hope Live at 800.642.8399.

Thank you for your support!