Help Neil Recover from Spinal Cord Injury
There is an old saying that “lighting doesn’t strike the same place twice.”
For Neil, his first accident in February 2019 seemed like a freak occurrence, a fluke. While riding his bicycle on a rural country road in Hernando county, he was struck by a truck at a high rate of speed. He was taken to a local level II trauma center and then transferred to UF Health Shands in Gainesville, FL. He was diagnosed with a severe traumatic brain injury and went on to complete rehabilitation at the Shirley Ryan Ability Lab in Chicago. He worked hard every single day since to recover his body and mind. If you would have met Neil for the first time last Saturday, you probably would have never known that he had a TBI only two years ago.
Neil is an avid, lifelong endurance bicyclist. Keeping Neil away from his passion of bicycles was impossible; the therapists at Shirley Ryan even had him riding in downtown Chicago during his last week of therapy. As soon as he was cleared, he was back to riding. He committed to only riding on our local paved trails to reduce the chance he would come into contact with vehicles.
On Sunday, July 25th, 2021, Neil was riding a paved trail in Hernando county. He was struck by a mini van while crossing a trail intersection, sending him flying down the road. He was flown to the same level II trauma center, and we made the same decision to transfer him back to his amazing team of neurosurgeons at UF Health Shands. Upon arrival, he was diagnosed with a complete C5/6 spinal cord injury, with paralysis from the wrists down. If there is such thing as luck in situations like these, it is that his brain is completely intact and uninjured.
After extensive discussions with the entire care team, Neil, and the family, Neil has decided that he wants to continue with care and fight to regain whatever function and mobility he can. His status is still critical, and he is breathing with support from a ventilator and is in cardiogenic shock… but he is awake and able to communicate with us by nodding yes and no.
The plan at this point is to get him stabilized enough to transfer to rehab. He will be attending rehabilitation at Shirley Ryan Ability Lab in downtown Chicago, which is where he went after his original TBI. SRAL is the number one spinal cord injury rehab in the world, and they accepted him back to care with open arms. But this does not come without cost — first and foremost he will need a medical transport flight from Gainesville to Chicago. SRAL requests that a family member is present daily for patient support through rehab and therapy, as well to learn how to provide care for the patient after discharge. Margie will have to move to Chicago for the foreseeable future, and we no longer have family who live in the city as we did last time. She will need an apartment, transportation from her home to SRAL, food and meals, appropriate fall and winter clothes for the Chicago weather, and more. She will also need to ensure her home in Florida is cared for and bills are paid during this time. Insurance does not assist with any costs other than Neil’s rehabilitation.
When Neil comes home, the adjustments to his new lifestyle will be major. Likely, Neil and Margie will need a new home that is wheelchair accessible, whether it is purchased that way or is remodeled. They will need lifts, medical supplies, and adaptable accessories. Margie will need a wheelchair accessible vehicle to bring Neil out of the house. Most importantly, Neil will need a wheelchair that is safe, comfortable, and adaptable to his mobility needs. Insurance will help with some of these costs, but a vast majority will fall upon Neil and Margie.
This is a huge shock for our family. Major adjustments will need to be made over the coming months to accommodate Neil’s disability. But he has made the decision to fight, work hard, and heal, and we are all going to stand by his side and support him through it. I know that once again, many people have asked how they can help. We will never be able to make it through this without everyone’s support. No matter how you came to read this, please know we appreciate every single positive thought, prayer, healing vibe, words of support, text message, phone check-in. This campaign was created to provide a place for those who would like to help our family with any size contribution — anything makes an impact. Our family is so thankful for everyone on Neil’s team… from the healthcare team, to family and friends, to perfect strangers learning of his story, every single one of you are important to us and to Neil’s recovery. Thank you so much for taking this journey with us and Neil.