I am a long-time friend of Joel's and one of many in his friends and family network.  We have supported each other in our 30 year friendship.

Joel danced, cycled, backpacked, hiked and enjoyed life to the fullest before his skiing accident on February 14, 2020. He is now working to rebuild his active lifestyle and stay healthy as he learns to navigate his life in a wheelchair. It is vitally important for Joel to have specialized exercise equipment at home to continue to heal and build strength. A home gym that includes a specialized physical therapy standing frame would allow Joel the ability to stand while exercising. We are asking you to help Joel purchase this needed standing frame and home workout equipment. Any amount will help us reach our goal of $10,000 by the end of February 2021.

Joel was skiing at Mt. Hood Meadows when he took a bad fall and suffered a number of serious injuries, including broken bones, internal injuries, a concussion, and damage to his spinal cord. He was rushed to Emmanuel Hospital in Portland, Oregon where he had emergency surgery to fuse his broken vertebrae and then a second surgery to repair a broken hip. Joel spent the next three months in the hospital, nursing home care, and finally in an intensive rehabilitation program at the Rehabilitation Institute of Oregon before he was able to return home. All this during the COVID-19 pandemic. The broken bones and internal injuries have healed with time, but the spinal cord injuries caused long-term loss of leg mobility and a number of associated on-going health issues.

Joel is now recovering at home with assistance from friends and family, and is doing many things for himself again. At weekly physical therapy sessions and at home he is working hard to recover his strength and to build up new skills to navigate life in a wheelchair. To continue his rehabilitation and maintain his health going forward Joel needs daily access to a standing frame, a device that will support him in a standing position and specialized weight training for people in wheelchairs. Standing exercise is crucial for his physical health and has benefits for his emotional and mental well being. Health complications often arise from the prolonged use of a wheelchair and can include the loss of bone density, lower extremity contractures, spasticity, decreased range of motion, and impaired circulation along with other problems. Unfortunately, his medical insurance doesn’t cover the cost of a standing frame and other specialized fitness equipment, so we are reaching out to our community, friends, family and others for financial assistance to help Joel purchase his home gym.


This is the standing frame (but that is not Joel) that is critical to Joel's continued progress. It is a special exercise machine with additional features to support Joel’s rehabilitation and ongoing health maintenance. It has handles similar to an elliptical exercise machine that can be used for cardiovascular exercise and for upper-body strengthening. The handles also have connections to the legs so that the movement of the handles simultaneously move the legs to maintain range of motion in the ankles, knees and hips. 

Thank you for helping Joel to recover, gain strength and stay healthy! Any donation amount towards his home exercise equipment with this the specialized standing frame is greatly appreciated. Our goal is to raise $10,000 by the end of February 2021.