Christoffer Cox needs an FES bike.......

Christoffer is now two years post injury to his spinal cord rendering him a quadriplegic. While he has made some incredible accomplishments since July 2019, he is still extremely slow to regain any function of his triceps, wrists and hands. One of the most effective therapeutic devices for helping regain a response and then function after a spinal cord injury is an FES device (Functional Electrical Stimulation). FES devices are integrated into a foot and hand-bike machine. The combination of electrical stimulation, with correlating functional movement is a proven method to help the nerves and muscles to respond and eventually function after a spinal cord injury.

Christoffer had used an FES machine during in-patient therapy. The only location we were able to get onto a machine outside our in-patient stay eliminated the use of the FES machine due to covid restrictions. Prior to covid we scheduled time each week on the machine and were able to setup and exercise on our own without a therapist. They allowed this because I was trained and approved to set Christoffer up and monitor him using this device by the therapists there at the facility. It was going great! Side-note.... I was also incorporating visual stimulation during his exercises using a VR headset. He would watch a VR video of bike riding wile doing his exercise. At the time I figured the additional visual stimulation would only add to the functional and electrical stimulation already happening. Well we only got to do it for a few weeks, then covid stopped it. Since then, the facility is still not allowing us to use the FES machine.

We then tried the insurance route.... Our doctor wrote us a script for it, our therapists submitted paperwork justifying it... Chistoffer did a trial on it with a vendor...... and the answer was no from insurance. It's been a long process of appeals, and after our last and final appeal, we don't see a path to insurance funding the device for Christoffer. The out-of-pocket cost for the FES bike is $19,000.00. That's unfortunately an amount our family can't take on.

It's been two years since his injury. It's been two years since Christoffer has used his triceps, wrists and fingers. Thru our journey to get help, he's been seen by numerous doctors and therapists for different trials and procedures to help him regain function. All of them say the same thing each time when they test his upper body, "I feel them(triceps, wrists and fingers) flickering, they're just not strong enough to get a response"........ It's hard hearing that every time as well as extremely encouraging every time hearing that.

Our house is one that doesn't have equipment in it that wastes away in the corner. Our downstairs is devoted to his rehabilitation and if Christoffer was able to get an FES bike, he would use it daily. We are a family that has been helped so much by others after his injury, and we wouldn't ask for help if it wasn't important. If you have read this message to this point, thank you for hearing Christoffers situation and our story in trying to get this device. He's an amazing young man and we are in awe of his outlook on life everyday. Donate or not, thank you and remember to keep trying for more.

Owen, Denise and Christoffer