Helping Towards Frankie's Recovery

Frankie who as many of you know is a 16 year old boy who is happy, lovable, and full of energy. Frankie loves to play baseball, drive his RC cars, play video games, and counts the days to go off-roading in Glamis. Unfortunately, on February 13 2021 while on one of the rides in Glamis, Frankie was in a horrific accident. He had to be airlifted to the nearest hospital out in Palm Springs, CA. Frankie suffered a C5 fracture and spinal cord injury which affected his breathing, ability to swallow, and his motor functions. Frankie had to have surgery inorder to fix the fracture but it does not fix the spinal cord injury. Frankie was in the ICU on a vent for two weeks, then was able to get off the vent and transition to a tracheostomy in which he still has. He struggled but was finally able to pass the swallow evaluation and is now eating regular meals. Frankie gradually regained sensation throughout his entire body but continues to have limited upper body movement and no movement below the waist. As of March 13Frankie was transferred to an acute rehab out in Pomona, CA. Recovery will be challenging and a very long process. Insurance only covers six weeks of acute rehab at the facility after that he will be at home doing outpatient rehab. There will be many sessions of therapy that Insurance won’t cover and will be crucial for his recovery. Many devices and equipment will be needed for Frankie to feel independent and through the use of specialized equipment will start waking up the nerves in hopes of gaining normal function again. The Goal is to make Frankie as independent as possible when he is ready to come home from acute rehab. Since the accident I (Mom) have been fortunate enough to be allowed to stay by my son’s side the whole time to assist with Frankies care to prevent any bed sores, pneumonia, assist with range of motion, and feeding. Therapy is at times difficult since Frankie is still weak and tires very easily, but with lots of encouragement he pulls through. Thankfully Frankie is in good spirits, smiling, talking, eating and can’t wait to go back to baseball. It will be a long recovery and because he is 16 he has been given a positive prognosis. Thank you to all of those who are able to donate, we are thankful for your support and contributions in order to assist with Frankies recovery.