Help Leonardo Cruz After Spinal Cord Injury

If you are reading this, just know that I am very happy to be alive. My name is Leonardo Cruz and the 50-foot fall did not kill me, it merely reduced the use of my legs by 95%. I just want to take a moment to thank the higher power for allowing me to stay on this earth.

Adapting to the new feeling of kicking out my legs and having nothing happen along with the unannounced nerve pain that feels like an alligator biting my thighs, has been difficult. But creating this GoFundMe also felt like another alligator bite. This took a fair amount of time, and I went back and forth in my mind in order to push past my self-doubt and pride to create what you are reading right now. But a few amazing people reminded me along the way about the power of story and the importance of creating community in times of need to uplift health and your family.

In some ways, I am grateful that my fall happened in Boston. Here the family and friends I made while at Babson have shown-up for me in unimaginable ways. And the support from my colleagues at CPower Energy has touched me deeply. I was also able to receive treatment at the world-renowned Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital.

Spaulding was my home from September 7th to October 17th, 2024, and I will not soon forget it. At Spaulding I got a chance to extend my family and got to learn new lessons every day from some of the best in the business. Bless the amazing healthcare team on the 6th floor (Go SCI team!), they pushed me to my limit with 3-4 hours of physical therapy and occupational therapy 5 days a week. I got the chance to get close with a few neighbors on my floor who were also going through similar life changes, and there’s no bond quite like the folks that you share a trench with. You have made me stronger.

During this tidal wave, I found peace and positivity through the love that these friends and my family provided me, as well as meditation and music but I am not going to lie to you reader, Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) is absolutely diabolical. I consider myself fortunate to have a lower spinal injury (medical classification: L2, ASIA Grade C), but many patients & friends that I have gotten closer to on the hospital floor have even more challenging recovery journeys ahead without their use of arms & hands, ability to urinate, ability to speak, and even ability to breathe on their own. Furthermore, I have learned that awareness for Spinal Cord Injury is not that common, SCI is considered a rare disease, with only 17,000 new cases per year. This fact has weighed heavily on my heart and has been tugging at the endless torrent of “what ifs” in my mind. What if there was more SCI awareness? What if there was more SCI research and funding? What if the world was better suited and kinder for the people and families living with SCI?

Ultimately, I truly believe that this tragic puzzle of a broken human body can and will be solved soon, and we will be able to unlock new treatments for the 17,000 folks who get trapped in their own bodies each year. The research papers and advancements happening right now in mapping protein structures, stem cells, brain-computer interfaces, and nanomedicine are quite inspiring, and I am certain that the cure for this Sisyphean problem of the central nervous system is on the horizon. This is why in addition to using this GoFundMe to help pay off my surgery, rehab, and medical expenses I also want to create a space where I can do more with my story.

I pledge to use excess funds raised by this GoFundMe after hospital expenses to create a platform focused on connecting scientists and researchers, working on cutting-edge technology and medicine for Spinal Cord Injury. Consortium.sci will be a bridge for thousands of professionals around the world who want to work together and learn from each other to connect within a private and secure space. The idea for Consortium.sci came to me after reading a research paper called, "The Translation of Nanomedicines in the Contexts of Spinal Cord Injury and Repair" and it said that one of the major challenges in innovation within the space was the lack of an "International SCI Nanomedicine Consortium that is positioned to resolve the immediate challenges [for curing SCI]". This is what Consortium.sci aims to be and if you would like to learn more, please visit the prototype website. I believe we are closer than we think to finding ways of regenerating our bodies and healing nerves and I want to be an active force in exploring the what ifs of SCI.

Family, friends, and coworkers I love you all for supporting me and providing the love and warmth that I needed (and still need!) while healing and going through this life change. Especially to my parents, my dad who makes frequent trips from Miami to Boston and my mom who has upended her life to resettle us here in Boston so I may receive the best treatment. I may not say thank you enough, but in my heart, there is enormous gratitude for everyone who has wrapped their arms around me through this new and challenging time.

Through love, positivity, and hard work anything is possible.

Leonardo Cruz