Help Phil Rebuild His Life After Paralysis

My family experienced one of life’s many punches last July when my dad fell on a sidewalk and hit his head/neck area, paralyzing his arms and legs. Luckily, someone driving past spotted my dad a few minutes after his fall and called 9-1-1. Once he arrived at the hospital, they gave him a neck brace and then sent him home while they deliberated over the next steps of his recovery. He saw a spinal surgeon a few days later and was scheduled for urgent surgery.

He developed a blood clot about a week after the surgery that further compressed his spinal cord and left him paralyzed from the chest down. Since he could no longer use his diaphragm to breathe, he was transported to the ICU at Kootenai Hospital, placed on a ventilator, and was kept there until he was stable enough to be moved to North Idaho Acute Care Hospital. There they weened him off the ventilator and began the process of physical therapy.

Once it became apparent he would need more extensive care, we facilitated his transfer to Shirley Ryan Ability Lab, in Chicago, where he is currently working hard to rehabilitate himself to whatever his new normal will be.

Recovery will take years as he learns to navigate his new life of limited mobility and will be expensive due to home-care nursing needs and home modifications necessary to foster independence. Throughout this process I have been truly amazed at how positive my dad’s attitude has been. His spirits are high, his sense of humor is intact, and his will to fight is ironclad.

I truly believe in the power of manifestation, optimism, and God, so please keep my dad in your thoughts and prayers. If you have a spare moment to spread the word we would greatly appreciate it!