Dylan Strong!

Dear Friends,

As some of you know, on July 4th Dylan Allwine had a diving accident and fractured his neck in two places. Dylan broke his C6 & C7 vertebrae leaving him immobile and with loss of bodily functions from his chest down. He was brought by ambulance to Mass General in Boston and into emergency surgery.

Fortunately, because he got into surgery quickly and had an amazing medical team, it went as well as can be hoped. After about a week in ICU, Dylan was moved to Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital where they have begun rigorous rehabilitation therapy. He has begun responding to the therapy and has had some sensation and movement return in his legs and hands. He has a long road to recovery, but we are all hopeful. He is young and determined.  DYLAN STRONG!

 Dylan is expected to remain at Spaulding for a few months and then will move to his parents, Anne Marie and Dave Allwine’ s, home in N.H. While it’s still too early to know exactly what accommodations Dylan will need, Anne Marie and Dave have been advised by the staff at Spaulding to start preparing their home for him. They will need to renovate their home to accommodate  Dylan by building ramps, a handicap accessible bathroom, widening doors, and other adaptations. He will also need on-going medical care, physical and occupational therapy among other services, many of which are not covered by insurance.  While we don’t know yet exactly what the expenses will be, at this point we are estimating tens of thousands of dollars.

 For those who don’t know Dylan, he is a 25 year old amazing musician and music teacher and an even better person.   He loves hiking, travel, cooking, rock climbing, jazz, and is a wine connoisseur and watch collector.   If you've seen him play with his band Copilot, you've seen his infectious smile behind his drum kit. If you've had the chance to meet him, you know how much his love of life can light up any room. He is beloved by so many- family, friends, band members, music students, employers and the love of his life, Lexi.   We all really believe he can accomplish a miracle here.  All the love and support that you can give him will help speed his recovery along.

 Please help Dylan and his family by donating to help with the many expenses they will incur bringing Dylan home and caring for him over the next few years. Dylan has been receiving cards and well-wishes from people from all over the country and is so grateful for the outpouring of love and support.  Anything you can contribute would be greatly appreciated!

Added 7/29/20
Go Fund Me requires that I explain a few things here.
I am Nancy an old friend of the Allwine family. I've known Dylan's parents Anne Marie and David for 30+ years— so longer than Dylan has! I live in Wolfeboro, NH where Dylan was born and raised.

We've made David Allwine (Dylan's Dad) the official beneficiary so that he can withdraw the funds. Anne Marie and David  need to start making renovations to the house in anticipation of Dylan coming home from rehab in early September. They will start withdrawing the funds as soon as we can get it set-up.  An accessibility consultant has already visited their home and they have started planning. Spaulding Rehab has been so helpful connecting them with resources like a fund to which they can apply to help pay for a lift to get Dylan into the house ($10k for the lift). And the medical bills are starting to come in. Thank goodness Dylan is 25 and was able to still be on Dave's health insurance! Lexi's family have a dear friend who is a builder and has offered to come to their home to do some work.  They're trying to make every penny that has been donated stretch out to do the most possible. So construction will begin soon to get ready for Dylan's return in early September.

Thanks everyone!