Rick Hogan's Medical Fund

Rick  Hogan, a 35 year veteran of the Automotive Aftermarket fell from the roof of his house  in July of 2011 while cleaning the gutters. He landed directly on his feet, compressing his spine, & fracturing his T-11 and T-12 vertebrae, partially severing his spinal cord and leaving him paralyzed from the waist down.

I have know Rick for nearly 20 years, and in fact was able to get him backstage at the SEMA banquet one year to meet a favorite comedian of his Bill Engvall. That is us in the feayured photograph. While working with him over the years, I came to really care for him and have always loved his passion for our industry.

He has done well with the mainstream physical therapy that insurance pays for, but it only goes so far in helping with recovery. Rick's wife can only work part time now because of caring for him and they have spent all of their savings and his family has helped as much as they can now. At this point, Rick is in need of a comprehensive activity based neurorecovery program developed specifically for spinal cord injuries in order to address many of the secondary issues associated with paraplegia. The program is called CORE (Center of Recovery & Exercise: www.coreflorida.com) and is located near his home in central Florida. 

Without this type of program Rick will be more subject to issues such as osteoporosis, pressure wounds, and bladder and bowel problems. Unfortunately, insurance will not pay for this program. The cost at CORE is $90 per hour, and Rick needs to attend four hours a week. His situation is becoming dire because they have very little for simple living expenses, and he has wounds that will not heal. Your generous contributions will increase Rick's chance of healing and living a productive life and returning to full-time work in our industry. I hope you will search your heart to find ways to help a fellow industry member in need.