Brett Hockensmith Medical & Rehab
Donation protected
As many of you know, my brother Brett Hockensmith had a very tragic accident in Ocean City Maryland on Thursday August 6th, 2015. He was body surfing in the waves and hit his head on the beach. The impact caused several fractures to his vertebrae, compression in his discs, damage to his spinal cord, and his lungs were filled with water and sand.
Due to his injuries, Brett was paralyzed in the water for several minutes and almost drowned. He was life-lined from Ocean City Maryland to the Baltimore Shock Trauma Hospital. He had surgery on Monday August 10th, 2015 to remove a bone fracture from his spinal cord, remove two discs, and fuse his vertebrae together.
He has had a very difficult and painful week. The pain in his arms from the nerve damage has been excruciating. He has been in and out of sleep due to the amount of medication necessary to make his suffering bearable.
Brett has been making strides towards recovery. He is currently able to move his right arm at the shoulder and has some function of the elbow and fingers on that side. Motion in his left arm is still very limited from the shoulder down, and he can barely move the elbow and fingers on that side. He can stand for very brief periods with assistance, and can sit up in a reclining chair for a short period before he needs to rest again.
Brett has a long road to recovery ahead of him. He will be moved to Western Maryland Hospital Center for inpatient rehabilitation. If he does very well in therapy he may be able to move home and do outpatient rehabilitation in several weeks.
Brett’s medical expenses for his life flight, stay at Shock Trauma, transport, and stay at the rehabilitation center will be very costly. The doctors anticipate that Brett will be unable to work for at least 6-12 months. Any amount that you can donate towards his recovery expenses would be greatly appreciated. We will continue to update you on this site to let you know about his progress throughout the next few weeks. Let’s help Brett get well and get back on his feet quickly!
Due to his injuries, Brett was paralyzed in the water for several minutes and almost drowned. He was life-lined from Ocean City Maryland to the Baltimore Shock Trauma Hospital. He had surgery on Monday August 10th, 2015 to remove a bone fracture from his spinal cord, remove two discs, and fuse his vertebrae together.
He has had a very difficult and painful week. The pain in his arms from the nerve damage has been excruciating. He has been in and out of sleep due to the amount of medication necessary to make his suffering bearable.
Brett has been making strides towards recovery. He is currently able to move his right arm at the shoulder and has some function of the elbow and fingers on that side. Motion in his left arm is still very limited from the shoulder down, and he can barely move the elbow and fingers on that side. He can stand for very brief periods with assistance, and can sit up in a reclining chair for a short period before he needs to rest again.
Brett has a long road to recovery ahead of him. He will be moved to Western Maryland Hospital Center for inpatient rehabilitation. If he does very well in therapy he may be able to move home and do outpatient rehabilitation in several weeks.
Brett’s medical expenses for his life flight, stay at Shock Trauma, transport, and stay at the rehabilitation center will be very costly. The doctors anticipate that Brett will be unable to work for at least 6-12 months. Any amount that you can donate towards his recovery expenses would be greatly appreciated. We will continue to update you on this site to let you know about his progress throughout the next few weeks. Let’s help Brett get well and get back on his feet quickly!
Organizer and beneficiary
Lonnie Hockensmith
Organizer
Chambersburg, PA
Cheryl Gayman
Beneficiary