Support for Nate Hendley, UChicago Graduate

On March 4th, Nate Hendley suffered a terrible freak accident, falling over 30 feet from a ski lift in Colorado. He was taken to a Level 1 trauma center, where they determined that he’d broken more than half of his vertebrae, his sternum, some ribs, and his right heel. He also injured his lungs, spleen, and kidney and was admitted to the ICU. The trauma team told him that very few people survive a fall from that height (much less without sustaining a spinal cord injury), so we’re incredibly thankful for that miracle.

However, Nate has a long, difficult recovery ahead, and the doctors have told him that it will take six months for his spinal injuries to heal fully. He and his girlfriend, Erin, had just moved to the area in January. Both of their families live on the east coast, so they have limited support there.

Once he’s discharged from the hospital, Nate will be transferred to an acute care rehabilitation center for an unknown period of time. After that, he needs a handicap-accessible place to live temporarily and transportation to and from therapy until he can drive again. Unfortunately, we’re not sure when Nate can return to work, so we’re hoping to raise $50,000 to help him pay for medical expenses, rehab/ongoing physical therapy, transportation, and basic living expenses that are not covered by insurance so he can focus entirely on his recovery.

Nate loves music, spending time outdoors hiking and climbing, playing baseball, and spending time with friends and family. He graduated from the University of Chicago in 2020 with a B.A. in Biology and plans to attend medical school one day. He was a pitcher on the Varsity Baseball team for 4 years and a dedicated brother of the Psi Upsilon fraternity.

Nate’s the kind of guy who would do anything to help his friends, makes the most out of any interaction he has with people, and has achieved much in the face of significant headwinds. We know Nate will come out of this stronger than ever. His family and friends thank you in advance for any donation that makes his full recovery a reality.