Help and Support for Ken Packard
The goal of Ken’s Team is to raise funds for unimaginable health care expenses after his dreadful cervical spinal injury.
It’s a rare day when you have the opportunity to meet and get to know a guy like Ken. He is a man of great character who has overcome many obstacles and is committed to living life to the fullest. His enthusiasm is contagious. Whether it’s his devotion to his wife Theresa, his son Sean’s success, his dog Quinby or family and friends, Ken brings the full force of his personality to the forefront on all things that are important. Ken is a generous, kind and committed person , and truly exemplifies a Renaissance man. As a cancer survivor, Ken and Theresa give back to the cancer community by raising money for the annual Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation 5K Walk/Run. As volunteers at the Pan Mass Challenge each summer, Ken expertly tends the grill and Theresa, a Nurse Practitioner provides first aid to the cyclists. Anyone who knows Ken and Theresa will tell you they are an amazing couple.
As an outdoorsman, Ken has been an enthusiastic volunteer Ambassador in the Killington Mountain Resort winter program. As a summer host at Killington, he decided to expand his involvement by taking mountain biking lessons.
The event on August 10, 2019 changed his life forever. As he descended a trail in the rain, the bike slipped off a wooden platform covering a rivulet, plunging him head first down a ravine.
He was airlifted to Dartmouth-Hitchcock Trauma Center where doctors determined his cervical spine was so severely traumatized they immediately transferred him to Massachusetts General Hospital. He underwent life saving surgery for a complex C2-T1 spinal fracture. The surgeon said his spine was crushed and he lost seven liters of blood. Ken had a bumpy post-operative course with many complications. After one month he was transferred to Spaulding Hospital Cambridge to begin his journey forward with physical and occupational therapy. The injury has left him paralyzed in all four limbs except for very limited arm and wrist motion. He no longer has the use of his hands.
Theresa, Sean and their extended families, the Conway’s and Kennedy’s, as well as many concerned friends have rallied to his side to provide love and support. This life altering event has dramatically changed their lives forever, but by the grace of God and continued support of family and friends, Ken and Theresa, together, are determined to find a new way forward. After five long months in the hospital, now that he is home, medical insurance does not cover the rapidly mounting health care costs. Demands are even greater now for home care assistance and ongoing physical and occupational therapy. The expense of retro fitting their home, a wheelchair accessible vehicle, specialized durable medical equipment and many unforeseeable expenses are quickly adding up. It is a well established fact that medical costs for this type of injury surpasses one million dollars the first year alone. Your gift, no matter the amount, will be used to meet these mounting expenses and ease some of the financial burden. We thank you in advance and ask you to share Ken’s story with a few of your friends.
