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John's Journey to Freedom

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John Stephens is an active enthusiast of a good motorcycle.  He recently purchased his new Harley Davidson in Jacksonville, NC with his wife Lori by his side.   The pride that beamed off him the day he purchased his new bike can only be described as pure happiness. Lori and John met four years ago and they both completely fell in love.  They had found their soulmate in each other.  A typical evening for them could be hanging around the house together or heading to Wilmington on the bike to hear a band play, grab a bite to eat, and hang out. 

On October 3, 2018, John had just finished up a call to his wife, filled up the gas of his Harley, and was headed home to spend the evening with Lori.   As he was riding his motorcycle home, he decided to take a road he had traveled many times.  As he rounded one of the curves, he lost control of his motorcycle.  He tried to gain control, but was faced with wet, saturated grass.  The mud was too much for the bike and John to handle.  He was flung from the motorcycle and fell a twenty-foot drop into a ditch.  John laid in the ditch, fighting for his life, for 5 hours.   He could hear the phone ringing, but could not move to answer it.   It became dark outside.   Two men, or as we like to call them, Angels, rode down the desolate highway and saw John’s Harley lights flashing.  They began to look around, only to find John laying there unable to move.  They acted quickly and called for help.  John was able to give the men Lori’s phone number.  They called her and gave her directions to where he was located.   When Lori arrived, she watched as her husband was airlifted to New Hanover Regional Medical Center in Wilmington, NC. 

At the hospital John stayed in the ICU for 7 days.  The doctors identified over 10 broken ribs and a C6 spinal cord injury. They measured the severity of the injury and performed two surgeries to provide stability to the spinal cord.

On October 17th, John was accepted to attend the Shepard Center in Atlanta, GA for rehabilitation.  He will be airlifted on October 22, to begin the journey of recovery.

John is going to face many challenges in the upcoming months and we can’t wait to see him overcome them and succeed.  When John comes home, we want his wife and him to continue living their fairy-tale.  Please come together to donate and help John receive the care he needs at the Shepard Center and the care he may need when he returns home. 

We need your help to support John’s medical expenses in the upcoming months so that he can live a happy, joyful, and free life.

Our campaign goal is $100,000.  This will be used in the following ways:

·        Family visitation to the Shepard Center (estimated 10,000)

·        Skilled homecare professional needed for when John returns (70,000)

·        Assistive Technology (20,000)

Thank you for reading John’s story.  We appreciate any help or contribution, no matter how big or small!! If possible, please share our campaign link on social media (Facebook, Instagram, etc.) and with your friends.  We will keep you posted on the use of funds and his progress going forward.  Any questions, please contact us.  
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    Organizer and beneficiary

    Christy Torres
    Organizer
    Jacksonville, NC
    Lori Stephens
    Beneficiary

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