Cory Goral

On June 9, 2019, Cory Goral was enjoying a fun family weekend on the Colorado River, just outside of Blythe. He had been diving off the dock along with other family members all weekend, until the next dive went all wrong. Cory hit his head on the bottom, unable to move, he held his breath in hopes that someone would retrieve him from the water before floating downriver and drowning. Thankfully, family members rushed over to fish him out. They checked his vitals and supported his neck until the paramedics arrived and airlifted him to the hospital.

He was thereafter intubated and underwent neck surgery the next day. Cory fractured every cervical vertebra and is now fused from occiput (base of his skull) to T1. Communication for the week following his injury consisted of eye blinking and a whiteboard of a few commands based on the number of blinks, followed by more than a month of lip reading with a trach in to help him breathe.

Cory is an active goofy guy with the kindest heart. This accident has changed his and his family’s lives in an unimaginable way. Through the support of family and friends, Cory strives to gain as much independence as possible learning how to function in his post-injury body. His positive spirit will take him far in recovery as he strives to live life to the fullest.

Fast-forward to today, Cory can now breathe on his own and communicate normally by voice. Cory is a quadriplegic. He has partial sensation below the chest and below the elbows, as well as muscular function in the upper back, shoulders, biceps, triceps, and wrist extensors. Cory’s current focus is to gain strength and functionality in the arm movement he has along with increasing his physical endurance to achieve as much independence as possible.

Cory needs assistance to cover the cost for his continued recovery and new way of life. Insurance has helped provide some specialized medical equipment and covers a portion of the cost of medications, doctor visits, therapy, and surgeries. However, there are many costs not covered by insurance that are important for continued recovery, long-term health, and quality of life while living as a quadriplegic. Due to the severity of paralysis, significant help is needed for daily living activities that an able-bodied person would not even think twice about.

Cory needs assistance with getting in/out of bed, bathroom activities, stretching, exercising, eating, and so on. A gift of $25 would cover an hour for a caregiver or a doctor’s co-pay. A gift of $350 would cover 3 months of medications. A gift of $1000 or more could help Cory purchase a recumbent hand bike for exercising outdoors.

Your gift through Help Hope Live is 100% tax deductible (unlike Go Fund Me). It is also fully eligible for any matching gift programs that your employer might have. Additionally, Help Hope Live can accept gifts of appreciated stock or IRA rollover gifts, both which can have serious tax advantages for you. If you have any questions (including questions about employer matching gifts and gifts of stock/ IRA rollovers), Help Hope Live has a great FAQ page. For more information, please contact Help Hope Live at 800.642.8399.

Your donation is greatly appreciated! Thank you for helping Cory in his recovery.