Help Jacob Rebuild His Life After Tragedy

"Mom, I can't feel anything below my chest. I'm so scared. Am I going to die?"

On July 23, 2024, our 20-year-old son Jacob was involved in a multi-vehicle accident while riding as a passenger in the backseat of a jeep. The jeep driver stopped in the middle of a highway to pair his Bluetooth while Jacob watched cars swerve to avoid them. Tragically, a distracted driver did not notice the stopped jeep until it was too late, impacting Jacob's vehicle at highway speed. Our son watched in horror at the realization that the car would slam into them. He sustained life-threatening, catastrophic injuries that have forever changed the course of his future.

After being stabilized in the emergency room and before he was taken into surgery, I received a call from his care team who could only tell me, "Jacob is alive, but get here as quickly as you can." I was allowed to speak with my son very briefly, and his words will forever haunt me..."Mom, I can't feel anything below my chest. I'm so scared. Am I going to die?" The only words of comfort I could offer were, "I love you, son."

Jacob was found to have two significant burst fractures of his C6 and T10 vertebrae, which had severely injured his spinal cord. He also suffered rib and sternum fractures, and ten additional fractures along his spinal column. He hemorrhaged on the operating table and required massive blood transfusions to save his life. After surgery, he remained intubated for two days because he was not able to sustain his oxygen levels or blood pressure.

For the next three weeks, Jacob remained in the ICU, being diagnosed as a quadriplegic with no function below the chest. Once stabilized, he was transferred to the Shepherd Center in Atlanta for spinal cord injury-specific care and rehabilitation. After four months, we were blessed to have Jacob return home to California, where he continues the long and difficult journey of adjusting to his new life as a quadriplegic.

We were heartbroken to learn that the driver of the jeep was uninsured, which has left our son with minimal compensation for medical bills, home modifications, counseling, medical supplies, or equipment to make his life easier. Also, Jacob's health insurance does not cover spinal cord injury-specific physical therapy, which he so desperately needs and deserves.

We are so grateful for our son's life, and as a family, we are reminded that every day is truly a gift. We are incredibly thankful for the outpouring of love and support that we have received, and for the donations that helped so much with travel expenses and lost wages while we cared for our son.

Our prayer is that Jacob will continue to be blessed with unwavering strength, determination, and an indomitable will as he continues to heal. Please consider a small donation to help him on his journey. Much love and blessings to you all.

Some words from our son.......

"Firstly, I cannot understate the gratitude I have for every single person who donated to the GoFundMe that helped so much with my family's travel expenses right after my accident. Beyond that, my girlfriend Rachel and I extend our thanks to every single person who has reached out to us personally to see how we are doing. I am overwhelmingly humbled by the genuine concern for my well-being. This entire thing, as I am sure you can imagine, has in many ways been an absolute living nightmare. I never in my life could have fathomed something this life-altering happening to anybody in my immediate circle, let alone myself. I genuinely, with every ounce of my being, would never wish this upon even the most deplorable person fathomable.

All of that is to highlight the good that has come of this tragedy. I have been forced to face demons I didn’t even know I had. My interpersonal relationships have been stressed to heights I didn’t even know possible - and through all of it, I do truly believe that in a strange, roundabout way, something beautiful has started to become of this. Although I am still in the extremely acute steps of recovery, the light is beginning to shine through even in these circumstances. I have a newfound appreciation for the people closest to me, and on a broader scope, an appreciation for life itself after I so nearly lost it.

It is not in my nature to ask people for things. I am uncomfortable even writing these few paragraphs. It is not like me to come out publicly and provide personal details about myself. I've never had a social media presence. One of the hardest things for me to do during my recovery has been asking for help. Each time I have to ask someone to grab something too high to reach. Each time someone has had to help me get into the shower. Each time I get sick and need to be driven to the hospital. It has been like tiny daggers in my side, which might sound silly, but I do like to be self-sufficient. But at this point, I feel like it is a necessary step for me.

One large takeaway from my journey so far has been that being injured like this is extremely expensive. Every time I use the restroom I have to use a 4 dollar catheter. Thankfully that is one of the few things that insurance is covering, but that has not been a common theme. I have been responsible for all of my sanitary supplies...Every sanitizing wipe, every gauze pad, every adaptive toilet seat, and every piece of shower equipment. Every adaptive modification to my car that will allow me to drive. I am even responsible for a large portion of my physical therapy. Insurance pays for a wheelchair and catheters (if you’re lucky), and that's about all. The rest is out of pocket. Between the person who hit our car and the person who was driving the car we were in, I got the state minimum from one party, and the other party was not insured. They walked away without a scratch, three traffic tickets, and a slap on the wrist.

I know that there are plenty of people out there who need help more than me. I again am extremely grateful for every bit of support I have received thus far. I just wanted to share some of what I have been going through. Any small donation is greatly appreciated. I’m sorry if any of this blurb here was excessive or shoddily constructed, I’m just kind of pouring out how I’m feeling.

Thank you all and much love.

Jacob Tipton