Tom Ostwald

Tom Needs Your Support!

Tom and I have been married for 29 years, and we have two grown sons, Dylan and Ryan. On December 2nd, 2012, Tom was repairing a small hole in our siding, when the ladder slipped and fell over 24 feet. Tom initially lost all feeling from the waist down, and was rushed to the hospital and diagnosed with an L-1 burst fracture and a severely twisted spine. Tom underwent a major surgery and had his spine fused from T-12 to L2. He spent 26 days in the hospital, but was unfortunately left with damage and loss of feeling to both of his legs. Through hard work, determination and outpatient therapy, Tom has regained partial feeling in his legs, however he has a long way to go until he is fully recovered.

Tom graduated from Arizona State University and worked in the banking and lending industry his whole life, most recently in a management position. Due to his injury, Tom is unfortunately unable to work due to severe nerve pain and the risk of blood clots, which he began to develop when he tried to return to work. Despite these obstacles, Tom continues to persevere and attend rehab. and physical therapy. He loves to work out at the gym, and he stays physically fit and as active and healthy as he can. Tom uses a walker most of the time but still must use a wheelchair daily.

Tom’s ultimate goal is to attend “Project Walk”, a top-notch rehabilitation program specializing in spinal cord injury rehabilitation. The nearest facility is over 4 hours away, and Tom will need to relocate. Even with health insurance, the Project Walk therapy program will cost almost $10,000, which we will be required to pay out of pocket. Transportation fees, lodging and meal expenses will also increase our out-of-pocket expenses.

Tom’s ultimate goal is to walk without any assistive equipment and decrease his nerve pain by connecting the nerve endings thru targeted therapy. We are optimistic and believe Project Walk can help Tom meet his goal!

To help offset Tom’s expenses, a fundraising campaign in his honor has been established with HelpHOPELive, a trusted nonprofit organization that has been providing community-based fundraising guidance to patients and their families for more than 30 years. All donations are tax-deductible, are held by HelpHOPELive in the Midwest/West Spinal Cord Injury Fund, and are administered by HelpHOPELive for injury-related expenses only. Your contribution is greatly appreciated.

Thank you for your prayers, generosity and support. We greatly appreciate any financial donation you can provide!!

Sincerely,

Pat Ostwald, Tom’s wife