Cole Sydnor

On August 11, 2011, at the age of 16, life changed for Cole Sydnor and his family in an instant. While swimming with friends on the James River in Richmond, Virginia, Cole dove into the river and hit his head on a rock, shattering his C5 vertebrae and is paralyzed from his chest down.

Only the quick thinking of Cole’s friends saved his life. Cole was sent to MCV where he spent 11 days in ICU. He had surgery to remove bone fragments and to stabilize his spine. On August 22, 2011, Cole was transferred to the Shepherd Rehabilitation Center in Atlanta, Georgia to begin his long rehabilitation.

Through all of this, Cole maintained his sense of humor, his deep faith and demonstrated courage beyond that of a 16 year old. He is an inspiration to his family, friends and the entire community.

Prior to the accident Cole was a fierce athletic competitor on his high school lacrosse and basketball teams. He is an excellent student, true friend, and just a “look you in the eye” kind of guy any parent would be proud to call their own.

As you can imagine, the cost throughout his lifetime of therapy and hospitalizations will be staggering. While Cole’s family has health insurance, there are expenses insurance will not cover, such as ongoing therapy, durable medical equipment and supplies, specially-equipped automobile, special travel accommodations, and home modifications. The home modifications alone are expected to cost approximately $200,000.

To help offset the cost of these expenses, friends of Cole’s family have started a fundraising campaign in his honor with HelpHOPELive. HelpHOPELive is a nonprofit, 501(c) (3) organization that has been assisting the transplant community for over 30 years and the catastrophically-injured community for more than 10 years. All donations are administered by HelpHOPELive for injury-related expenses and are tax-deductible to the full extent of the law. Contributions will be greatly appreciated and will assist Cole and his family throughout his lifetime of recovery.

Since Cole’s accident, he has worked hard to graduate from high school, on time with his class, and has transitioned onto campus at the The University of Richmond where he is a full time student pursuing a Psychology degree with an emphasis in NeuroScience. If you can help and wish to contribute:

Make checks payable to:
HelpHOPELive

IMPORTANT: Note in memo section:
In Honor of Cole Sydnor

Mail to:
HelpHOPELive
Two Radnor Corporate Center
100 Matsonford Road, Suite 100
Radnor, PA 19087

For secure credit card donations:
Call 800-642-8399 or click the “DONATE NOW” button at the top of this page.

On behalf of Cole and his family, we thank you for your support, generosity and prayers.