Mclaren Slifer

Mclaren dove into a wave… something we’ve all done at one time or another at the beach.

On July 4, in South Bethany with friends, Mac dove into a wave. He has no recollection of hitting anything, no scraps or bruises but he knew instantly, something was wrong. He held his breath as his friends realized he was injured and helped him from the water.

Thankfully, there was an EMT on the beach that day and he and the lifeguards immediately began caring for Mac. 911 was called and his friend Colby’s mom, Shari, was by his side when paramedics arrived and started to make a plan. Shari was also on the phone with me, telling me what was happening. Mac was airlifted to Christiana Hospital where Tim and I met him and learned more about his injury.

Mac broke his C5-C6 vertebrae and currently has no feeling below his chest with some normal and some not so normal feeling in his arms and hands. Our whole world changed in an instant.

Mac had surgery to support his spinal column, and make room for his spinal cord to receive the vital blood supply it needs to heal, within 8hrs of his accident.

Our time at Christiana was long and scary. His care team was a huge advocate of getting him into Bryn Mawr rehab as swiftly and as safely as possible. We did this in just 11 days!

Unfortunately, within a day of arriving at Bryn Mawr Mac’s breathing took a turn. This is a risk as an asthmatic and due to the nature of his injury. We were quickly sent to Paoli Hospital were we spent a week treating and recovering from pneumonia.

On July 22, (Jaiden’s birthday) we celebrated back at Bryn Mawr rehab! We will be here for a while healing and working hard in therapy as Mac recovers. We have up days and down days, but Mclaren is getting stronger every day.

As a family, with the help from his care team at Bryn Mawr, we are making a plan for when Mac is able to return home. Mac will need tools and our home will need modifications to help him be as successful as possible in regaining his independence as he continues to heal. Any help you can offer is appreciated. Always accepting all the love and light you can share.

This journey, we know, will be long. But this #teamSlifer is ready for the fight! Mac IS a #StrongMF. Tim, Jaiden, Caelie and I are beyond thankful for all the well wishes and support and we have already received from friends and family. Mac is also SUPER thankful to all who have offered their support already… and kept him well fed at rehab ;). We have #StrongMF support bracelets to share. If you are local they are in a basket at the top of our driveway. If not, post your mailing address to [email protected] and I will send them along to you.

Mac has just completed his freshman year at Pitt and was looking forward to living off campus with friends for his sophomore year. While he’s taken a leave for this semester, he intends to get back to Pitt soon #H2P.

Expect not one Miracle, but many. #BentButNotBroken

Much Love,

-Team Slifer

*Family and friends of Mclaren Slifer are raising money with the nonprofit Help Hope Live to fund uninsured medical expenses associated with Mac’s accident on July 4, 2025. Mclaren has chosen to fundraise with Help Hope Live in part because donations are tax deductible for contributors and will only be used to cover medical and related expenses.