Team Franny - Help Fran Walk Again

On September 16, 2015, just 2 days after asking the love of his life to marry him, my little brother Fran and his fiancé Amy decided to spend one last day at the beach without the kids. After calling his father to wish him a happy birthday he hopped on his bike to head to the beach just a mile down the road. Fran and Amy weren't even there for five minutes before tragedy struck. Fran dove through a wave and hit a sand bar. Fran blacked out for a quick second, to find himself  floating facedown in the ocean not being able to move a muscle. Fran instantly knew he was paralyzed and tried to remain as calm as possible so he could hold his breath long enough in hopes that someone would realize his problem and come to his rescue. Fran could no longer hold his breath and instantly water had filled his lungs. When Amy realized that there was something wrong she immediately swam to his aid and pulled him to shore where her, along with an Anonymous good Samaritan, performed CPR reviving him back to life! Within minutes multiple EMS trucks were there along with a helicopter. The battle was far from over for Fran that day as he flatlined two more times before being rushed into Emergency surgery at Jersey Shore Medical hospital,  where his fiancé Amy was informed about the extent of his injuries. With the Dr. saying there's a good chance that he may not make it, Fran's family was notified by Amy and those who could make it came right away.

 Fran had burst fractured both his C-5 and C-6 vertebrae in his neck into about 30 pieces, severely bruising his spinal cord, and drowning resulting in an emergency tracheotomy in the ambulance followed by about 7 hours of surgery on his broken neck.  A fantastic team of surgeons at JSUMC put all the pieces of his two vertebrae in a cage screwed into a plate from his C-4 through C-7 vertebrae. The surgery was a success, but he still wasn't out of the clear due to the drowning.  He was being kept alive on mechanical ventilation with loved ones by his side the whole time. Of course Fran being Fran, woke up and began to pull the tubes from his mouth and throat, but was quickly stopped. Fran pulled through!! 

 Fran was informed by the team of Dr's. and nurses in the Spinal Cord ICU about what had happened and that he was fully paralyzed from the chest down only being able to move his arms but no hand function. Unable to speak, Fran was very frustrated, until Amy had made an alphabet chart for him to communicate. After all that had happened Fran's first word spelled out to Amy over and over was, HUG! Just to show you the kind of man Fran is, all he wanted was a hug! Who breaks their neck, drowns and flatline's 3 times and only needs a hug..... FRAN!! As if things weren't bad enough, Fran got pneumonia and had over a 107 degree fever that nearly killed him 2 weeks into being in the ICU. Yet again facing death,  Fran defied the odds and pulled through! He spent the next 5 weeks in the ICU with around the clock care from an AMAZING team of doctors and nurses and was ready for the next step in his recovery.

The next phase in Fran's recovery began when he entered inpatient rehabilitation at Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation in West Orange, NJ.  He spent 7 weeks there focusing on physical and occupational therapy. From learning how to eat and swallow again to learning how to manage bowel and bladder functions, all side effects of his damaged nervous system. Very basic things that most of us take for granted, but very life-changing and scary things when you have no control over muscles in more than half of your body. Lots of hard work and tears, and of course tons of laughter from Fran and everyone around him! No matter how frustrating and painful things got, Fran kept his positive attitude, a huge smile on his face, and uplifted everyone from the Dr's to the janitors and other patients. Just a few weeks into therapy he was finally able to see his children, Reilly and Penelope,  for the first time in 2 months! Fran was ready to go home mid December and able to spend Christmas with his fiancé, kids and friends and family!

In order for Fran to be able to come home, modifications had to be made to their house.  A ramp was installed that allows Fran to wheel himself from the driveway to the back door where it was easier to get in and out of the house in his wheelchair.  The bathroom took a few months, having to have been completely gutted, but the space and functionality for Fran to be able to use it in a special shower wheelchair on his own which is amazing considering having to be showered by strangers at Inpatient Recovery. He also made friends with the contractors, who still stop by to see how he's doing and hang out from time to time, and always say how he has inspired them so much!

Unfortunately, there is much much MUCH more help that they need for Fran to make a successful recovery and help his intentions of getting back to being a physically active father to his two amazing children and friends and family which he truly loves, and is so thankful for all their support! Amy had decided to put her life on hold to be Fran's caretaker since they couldn't afford to pay for one.  Fran needs to purchase medical equipment for their home, and finance ongoing medical expenses to help aid dayto day recovery and long term rehabilitation.  Although Fran has health insurance, they only cover two days of therapy a week, when much more is required to fully recover.  Unfortunately, health insurance coverage does not extend to home renovations, essential medical equipment, or rehab equipment that could help him eventually return to full strength .

Fran and Amy have already spent more than they could affout of pocket on supplies and home renovations, and URGENTLY need an additional $165,000 just for some of Fran's medical equipment and expenses that insurance will not cover.  Anyone who knows Fran understands that he is way too active and outgoing to be confined to a wheelchair or hospital bed. To prevent further complications and secondary injuries (i.e. loss of muscle mass and bone density, pressure ulcers, etc), time is of the essence. Unfortunately, the harsh reality is that the costs are substantial and Fran needs help to purchase the following....

- Upgrades and modifications to his wheelchair, beyond the basic wheelchair model covered by insurance. That will give Fran better mobility and independence

- Stair lift so that Fran has access to the basement where his exercise equipment will be

- Therapy mat and platform so Fran can do his stretching, core strengthening, and all necessary exercises.

- Standing frame that supports Fran in an upright position and allows him to carry weight through his feet, which has tremendous physiological benefits.

- STIM bike ( RTI300SLSA 12 channel system)that uses functional electrical stimulation to nerves to create real contractions in paralyzed muscles to help improve fitness through increased muscle mass and decreased muscle spasms or tightness, and to prevent secondary complications from a sedentary lifestyle.

- Exoskeleton, robotic legs that basically walk for him,which promotes muscle strengthening along with muscle memory and greatly reduces arthritis build up in joints from being unused.

-Various research programs that require lots of time and travel expenses.

-The list goes on and on. Fran needs our help as he and his fiancé Amy are doing all they can do, but they CAN NOT do it ALONE! 

Fran, Amy, Reilly and Penelope are truly thankful to everyone for all of the care, well wishes, prayers and support they've received.  With everyone’s help and support, we know that Fran will be able to get back to living a healthy, active, and happy life.

 Please share this with everyone you know so they can share it with everyone they know! There is no such thing as a small donation, for every drop in the bucket fills the bucket.

Thank You in Advance!