Please help Colby Barth and his family

On September 27, 2023, Colby Barth sustained a spinal cord injury (SCI) while doing what he loves, mountain biking. He was flown to the University of Pennsylvania, where the medical team identified multiple compressions of his cervical spinal cord, and he underwent emergency decompression surgery. While he is currently left with the inability to walk and use his hands, the injury he sustained was not a complete severing of his spinal cord. He was given an AIS classification C, in which the prognosis is greatly in his favor that he will return to some form of walking.

Colby spent about 2 weeks at the University of Pennsylvania and, since then, has been transferred to one of the top SCI rehabilitation centers in the country, Jefferson Magee. At this time, it is too early in the process to truly know what his chances of full recovery are since every SCI patient recovers differently. However, Colby is already impressing his therapists with his rapid progression, with many commenting that he’s completing tasks that they’ve never seen this quickly after an injury. I know none of this surprises any of us given Colby’s work ethic; he’s a fighter and always has been. The tests he’s willingly endured for his whole life have given him the greatest odds at overcoming this injury.

That said, as Colby faces his greatest challenge to date, he and his family are going to need our support. It is anticipated that he will likely spend about 4-6 weeks at the inpatient facility, followed by possibly months of outpatient rehabilitation. Based on early conversations, there’s a chance that he and Keena will need to temporarily relocate to a place that puts them in close proximity to the best outpatient SCI rehab in the area.

Not to mention that his home and vehicles may need to be modified to help in his recovery journey. All this comes at a significant expense. While Colby is fortunate to have good medical insurance, it is estimated that SCI patients could face over $1 million dollars in medical expenses in their first year of treatment, with more than $100,000 per year after. Additionally, SCI patients could be facing up to $70,000 in indirect expenses. While the majority of this will likely be covered by insurance, it goes without saying that even a small fraction that is not covered can add up.

Everyone who has befriended Colby knows he is truly a standout human being. He may not describe himself as outgoing, but he has managed to make connections with large numbers of people in many communities simply by his presence and passion for pursuing those things that he loves and feels strongly about.

His work colleagues know him as a highly regarded, distinguished network engineer with over 50 patents to his name. His rock climbing friends know him as a pioneer in the rock climbing industry, helping to build the first rock walls at Philadelphia Rock Gyms Oaks. As well as being heavily involved in developing SEPA climbing at places like Haycock, where he put up the problem Jesus Calls for War/Nightmare Arete V7 and took the first ascent of 5.13c King Solomon/Opposing Gravity at Birdsboro. His MTB friends know him as a fierce competitor with countless podiums to his credit. To further fill his thirst for competition, he developed a Tuesday Night Race series at Spring Mountain, as well as the VDuro racing platform during quarantine that allowed participants to race virtually using a commercially available app and his own ingenious scoring system. And to top it all off, he became the trail steward of Spring Mountain, which could be described in no other way than a labor of love. All the while, he has remained a devoted, loving husband to his wife Keena for more than 25 years and a role model father for his two children, Sol and Grace.

Colby has touched each and every one of us who have come to visit this page. He has impacted the lives of countless people in his fervent effort to live life to the fullest and has likely changed many of our lives for the better just by knowing him. This is our opportunity to show him what he means to us and to his communities. We have all benefited from his hard work or advice, and he has asked for nothing in return. Please consider giving. No donation is too small. Thank you for opening your hearts, and please keep the family in your thoughts as they move forward through his recovery.