Emily Progin, Content Manager
[email protected] / 800.642.8399
COMMUNITY HELPING QUADRIPLEGIC TO DRIVE, WALK & WORK AGAIN
$28,000 Raised in Honor of Gary Bolton After Life-Changing Injury
HOUSTON, Texas—Gary Bolton has spent the past 16 years living with paralysis and embracing hard work, community, independence, and possibilities. A fundraising campaign in his honor through the national nonprofit Help Hope Live is bringing new possibilities within his reach, including driving, working, and walking again with the help of specialized therapy and equipment.
Donations can be made at: https://helphopelive.org/campaign/354/
Gary was just 23 years old when a car accident changed his life forever. He was a backseat passenger in the wreck that left him with a paralyzing spinal cord injury.
While the accident robbed him of the movement in his legs and most of the movement in his arms, Gary committed to hope, hard work, and progress.
A decade and a half later, Gary’s dedication to intensive therapy has allowed him to restore some of the movement in his hands and arms. He’s put more than 60 hours into learning how to drive again with adaptive vehicle controls, and in March 2025, he secured his new driver’s license.
Gary lives in Friendswood, about 30 minutes from downtown Houston, and spends his free time advocating on behalf of the spinal cord injury community, but he also hopes that he can re-enter the workforce in the near future. In September 2024, he was presented the Champion of Inclusion (COIN) award from the Houston Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities.
“It took me 16 years to get this far,” he explained, “and I am so thankful for how this community has lifted me up and provided for me so far.”
As he turns 40 this year, Gary believes that there is still a lot of hope, independence, and mobility to unlock for his future—with a little more help from his Houston community.
A fundraising campaign with the nonprofit Help Hope Live will help fund the keys to a more independent future. The campaign has already helped Gary cover the cost of physical therapy sessions and home modifications for wheelchair access.
Life-changing costs that insurance won’t cover include a wheelchair accessible van, adaptive aids, and specialized therapy treatments. With help, Gary can drive again, begin a new career, and even train his body to walk again with assistance.
“Through my work and advocacy, I want to dedicate my time to improving our community and the lives of other spinal cord injury survivors,” Gary explained. “To do that, I need things insurance won’t cover. That’s why I am so grateful for this community’s support, from small businesses and local organizations to individual donors. It truly takes a village.”
Donations can be made at: https://helphopelive.org/campaign/354/
Unlike a GoFundMe campaign, donations to Help Hope Live are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law, and all funds raised will be administered by the nonprofit to cover verified medical and related expenses. Help Hope Live verifies medical and financial need for every patient.
Help Hope Live is a national nonprofit that specializes in engaging communities in secure, tax-deductible fundraising campaigns for people who need a transplant or are affected by a catastrophic injury or illness. Since 1983, campaigns organized by Help Hope Live have raised over $193 million to pay patient expenses, assisting more than 25,000 patient families. ###
