After a beautiful night of celebrating their new home, Karl and Vicky were faced with a traumatic series of events. At 4 am on May 25th, Karl experienced severe neck pain that began radiating into his chest. He could not get comfortable and could not sleep. Karl and Vicky quickly decided a trip to the Central DuPage Hospital (CDH) emergency room was necessary. They walked into the hospital not knowing that Karl was about to lose the ability to walk just moments later.

Despite excruciating pain, the nursing staff forced Karl to lay down for an ECG. As the hospital staff ruled out a heart-related condition, Karl lost the ability to move his left leg. As Karl and Vicky waited for more diagnostics like X-rays and a brain MRI, the paralysis started to spread to his right leg. As they waited on test results, the paralysis began to spread to his abdomen. Karl and Vicky then learned that a stroke and broken bones were both ruled out. Unfortunately, the paralysis continued to creep up his body, now impacting his chest and arms. Doctors warned Vicky that Karl may need to be intubated if the paralysis did not stop and that there was potential it could cause him to stop breathing. Karl was then transferred to the ICU as a precaution. At this time, staff addressed Karl's inability to urinate, removing over 2,000 ml of urine (normal amount is around 500 ml).

Karl's MRI results showed herniated discs in his cervical spine (C5-C6 and C6-C7) that were compressing his spinal cord, resulting in quadriplegia. Karl was rushed to emergency surgery performed by CDH's chief of neurosurgery to fuse his vertebrae and decompress his spinal cord. Since then, Karl has been wheelchair-bound, participating in inpatient programs to gain strength back. Karl and Vicky are so thankful that he is cognitively his normal self. However, life looks much different these days. Vicky continues to work full-time. Karl can no longer work as a tow truck driver. Even if approved for disability, the monthly payments will not cover their mortgage and monthly bills.

Karl and Vicky are thankful for as much financial help as possible. Any money raised will go towards medical bills, mortgage payments, accessibility remodeling (ramps, roll-in shower, replacing flooring, widening doorways, etc.), transportation to and from outpatient rehab, any nursing care needed, and accessibility tools that insurance does not cover.

For those unaware, Karl has always been one to support his community. He is always willing to drop everything to help a friend/family member in need. Whether it be volunteering for Tow Trucks for Tots, helping his friends with young kids have an extra pair of hands, or fostering pitbulls Karl's loving personality is a bright light for many. Thank you for helping be one for him.