Chris Mclaughlin

April 20, 2019, started out like any other normal Saturday for Chris. He woke up early to watch cartoons with his two young sons – a weekend tradition that also allowed his wife to rest and sleep in a bit. Afterward he played princess dolls with his little girl while his wife arose and prepared breakfast for the family. Being the day before Easter, he spent the rest of the morning outside to get the yard looking nice for hosting family the next day. After a sandwich lunch shared with his kids outside, he left to go to a friend’s house to pick up some mulch for the flowerbeds. He kissed his wife goodbye and said he’d be back soon. Ten minutes later, life changed forever. On that normal Saturday afternoon, a distracted driver ran Chris off the highway. His truck started flipping, and he blacked out. Upon regaining consciousness, Chris realized he was covered in blood and couldn’t feel his legs.

Chris was transported to OU Medical Center where imaging revealed a c6 spinal cord injury. Soon after, Chris realized his fingers were also paralyzed. Friends and family flooded the ER waiting room that night, and there continued to be a steady steam of visitors to see this man they loved so much during the 9 days he was hospitalized.

After those 9 days, Chris was transferred via medical flight to one of the best spinal cord injury rehab hospitals in the country – Craig Hospital in Englewood, Colorado. During his time there he endured a lung clot and underwent two additional surgeries. Yet the unwavering stream of visitors continued on, bringing hope and encourgament despite being 700 miles from home. Chris spent two and a half months at Craig for inpatient treatment and an additional 3 weeks outpatient as he worked hard to start recovering from his injury. He engaged in physical, occupational, manual, and recreational therapies for several hours each day. Even though he had several surgeries and constant low blood pressure, Chris persevered and gave his best effort towards recovery.

When Chris returned home, his desire to recover only intensified. He engaged in traditional physical therapy in Oklahoma City for several months, while also researching other possible therapies to help him recover. In December of 2019, a neighbor showed him a video of an activity based rehab center in Dallas, Texas called React. A few weeks later, Chris was there for his first session. Within the first hour, he knew this was his next step in recovery.

Thanks to the generosity of many, Chris was able to go to Texas to work with the trainers at React every other week for about a year. During that time, he made incredible improvement! He eventually was able to retire several pieces of medical equipment to his garage as he progressed out of needing them. However, it hasn’t all been easy. He’s dealt with multiple types of pressure sores, severe GI issues, UTIs, low blood pressure, extreme fatigue, intense spasms, emotional angst, and burning nerve pain. Nevertheless, he presses on with unmatched grit. After a particularly difficult year which saw many physical setbacks, Chris started activity based therapy in Bethany, Oklahoma at The 34 Project. He’s currently working with the trainers there twice a week and starting to regain the strength he lost during his “setback year”. Being able to engage in a higher level ongoing local therapy provides immense benefits both physically and mentally. As Chris gains strength, he is able to become more independent, which provides a mental boost as well.

A spinal cord injury is incredibly expensive. According to the National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center, a low tetraplegic injury (C5-C8) has a first year cost of $769,351 and subsequent yearly cost of $113,423. In our experience, the very things that have led to the most progress in Chris’s recovery, such as activity based training, myofascial and craniosacral therapy, and muscle activation technique therapy, are unfortunately not covered by insurance. That’s where the Help Hope Live Foundation comes in.

Your donations will be paid directly by Help Hope Live towards activity based rehab, hand therapy, medically necessary home therapy equipment, and even transportation costs to access treatment, which enables Chris to continue to pursuing active recovery. Additionally, funds raised also help cover our ongoing typical SCI injury expenses such as disposable home medical supplies, prescriptions, medically needed OTC drugs, and adaptive solutions for daily life.

As an added bonus, your giving is tax deductible! As a 501c3 nonprofit, 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.

Thank you for your support!