Amy’s Riverside Grill

On the 4th of July, Joe Mercado was in a swimming pool accident, where he hit his head/back of neck on the bottom of the pool and he was unable to move the left side of his body. He was rushed to Spartanburg Regional Hospital, where the doctors told him he broke his neck at the C-5 level and a bone fragment dislodged and he has a compacted spinal injury and severe spinal bruising. Joe is experiencing the following symptoms resulting from his injures, severe nerve pain, loss of muscle & paralysis in the left side of his body and hyper-sensitivity in both arms. We are fortunate the c-5 bone broke vertically, if it had broken horizontally it probably would have resulted in complete paralysis. He was put in a hard neck brace to immobilize his head to prevent additional damage. Another reason for the hard neck brace is that the muscles in his neck are unable to support his head weight. Joe will need to wear his neck brace for the next 3 months. Amazing Joe has regained much of the movement back in his left side. The muscle strength is still absent and there is significant loss of sensation. Joe continues to experience significant pain in varies parts of his body. His body temperature on the right side is cold, while the body temperature on the left side is hot, and the doctors explained his blood circulation is being controlled differently on each side. He is still unable to move his left wrist and hand, but as the swelling of the neck and spine goes down and with the proper therapy, the doctors hope he will regain movement.


We are so blessed that Joe has recovered as much as he has to date. It will take time and therapy, but I believe with his strong will, he can made a 'full' recovery. They have released him from the hospital and he is recovering at home with daily physical therapy and occupational therapy, which he will need to continue daily, for the next six months at least.


We are so lucky to have so many people reach out to us. We are asking for donations to help Joe pay for medical bills (x-rays, MRI's CAT SCANS, hospital stay, Nero Intensive Care Unit, and ambulance transportation) prescription medications, physical/occupational therapy, as he does not have medical insurance. Due to the severity of his injuries Joe will unable to work for an extended period of time. Thank you again to those who been helping, thinking and praying for us. God has a plan, and although we may not understand, but we must believe in miracles.