Let’s help Cynthia Norwood ride again

Our good friend and long-time FRC (Friday Ride Club) member Cynthia Norwood was in a terrible accident in late September.  She was riding her bike on the Guadalupe River trail in San Jose in the evening, with full lights and a bright kit.  No one knows exactly what happened, but the ambulance services stated that Cynthia was likely hit by another cyclist, possibly a homeless person, coming from the opposite direction. Whoever it was did not sustain serious enough injuries to be transported, but they knocked Cynthia off her bike very violently.  She is 75 years of age, a very careful and confident cyclist.  She does not remember the accident at all – she was unconscious for a considerable length of time.  She has sustained a broken and lacerated thumb, a deep tendon gash in her left hand, a terribly bruised back, a hurt shoulder, a broken clavicle, 8 fractured ribs, and if that is not bad enough, the worst injury of all, a fractured neck.  She was in a full body brace and on oxygen in the ICU for an entire week.  Last week she had surgery to fuse c-1 through c-3.  The neurosurgeon stated she came very close to being paralyzed by the accident.  The surgery went well but Cynthia has been moved to a convalescent home since she can’t return to her apartment in that condition.  She welcomes visitors!

To the heart of the matter – Cynthia is a Vietnam vet and lives on a fixed income.  Due to the rising prices of rent in California, she has had to work, even at 75 she is motivated and happy to work a full time job.  This is obviously not an option at this point.

We ask that if you are able to, please consider contributing to the fund we started to help Cynthia with completely unexpected expenses.  She has been told she will be off the bike for at least a year – anyone who cycles understands how much that hurts.  So to add to the physical pain and long recovery, Cynthia has the added mental pain of having to stay off the bike, her favorite activity, and how she keeps fit year round.


Please, if you can spare something, click on the crowdfunding link below.  No amount is too small.  And of course, share the link freely.

Thank you for reading!

Dasia Nagrodzka and Chris Weeks on behalf of Cynthia Norwood