Newly retired SF Teacher suffers Spinal injury

Hello,

On Christmas Eve morning my father, Jose Luis, fell down the stairs of our home and broke his neck at the C3 vertebrae. As a result of his injury, he has lost mobility throughout his body and requires round-the-clock care as he begins his rehabilitation.

Jose has given so much to the community as a teacher of twenty-six years within the San Francisco Unified School District, and sixteen years spent teaching math and science immersion at James Lick Middle School in San Francisco where he also coached the boys’ soccer team. He has touched so many lives throughout his career and life. His transition into this next chapter requires updating the family home to meet ADA specifications, such as the creation of a wheelchair elevator, ADA-friendly transportation, and further rehabilitative treatments that are not covered by insurance.

As the rehabilitation journey begins, we hope that the community that he has known and those outside of it will offer their assistance in covering these costs. My family extends our deep thanks to the EMS crew, the SF General Hospital Surgeons, Doctors and Nurses who worked tirelessly to save his life, and the Kaiser Vallejo Rehabilitation center where a team of Physical and Occupational therapists, doctors and nurses came together to help put Jose back together.

We are grateful to those who have visited and reached out for ways to help. Donating here is one of the best ways to support us in this new chapter in our lives. This money will go towards building the elevator in our home, creating an ADA bathroom, hiring a full-time caretaker to help assist us, medical supplies, additional rehabilitation therapy not covered by insurance, medical bills and transportation costs. This is the foundation that will take us through Jose’s first year in recovery.

Thank you,

Orestis, Angela (Jose's daughter), and Sofia (Jose's wife)