On Tuesday, August 23, my colleague’s son Luke Spink was involved in a serious road traffic accident where he broke his spine, arm, and hand and suffered a concussion and various other injuries. He was immediately rushed into spinal surgery and awoke to a loss of function from the waist down. A few days later, he was diagnosed with Subacute Post-Traumatic Ascending Myelopathy (SPAM). This neurological complication has caused swelling in his back, increasing his paralysis since the accident.

We are beyond grateful that Luke is still alive and with us today, but anyone who knows Luke understands the tragedy of the situation. With this GoFundMe, we hope to offer Luke and his family some peace of mind in the uncertain and challenging times they have ahead. Your contributions will directly assist Luke, his wife Emma and their two small children to adapt to their new situation. They have already incurred, and will continue to incur, costs related to Luke's medical treatment, travel between home and rehab, child care, and necessary home modifications and mobility devices on the journey to a new normal for their family.

About Luke and his family:

Luke’s positivity, drive, and enthusiasm are unmatched. He is a sailor, mountain biker, skier, tennis player, golfer, cyclist… the list goes on and on. His can-do spirit is one we all should be lucky to emulate even a fraction of. In 2020, this spirit inspired him to purchase a fixer-upper sailboat, Blueprint. Like every project, Luke approached this labour of love with vigour, and (never one for half measures) he and his wife, Emma, moved to Charleston, South Carolina, to be closer to the ocean, where Blueprint began competing in regattas and taking trips with family and friends. Luke has never met a stranger, and the local and regional sailors became the crux of a new tight-knit community. This network has proven invaluable to Luke and Emma in this challenging time since many of their family and friends support them from afar in the UK.

Luke and Emma have two children - Lottie (2.5) and Oscar (1). Lottie is fiery and independent, and she is developing a personality - and red hair - that reminds everyone so much of her father. Oscar is observant and goes with the flow, and nothing seems to upset him; he was lucky to inherit this relaxed, laid-back attitude from his parents, who are the two most stable people you’ll meet. Since birth, the kids have been adventuring to the mountains and beach and spending nights in pop-up tents on Blueprint. Lottie and Oscar are missing their daddy and are too young to understand the implications of his accident.

In the weeks following the accident, Luke and Emma’s community has pulled together from near and far (and virtually) to be by his side in the ICU to lift his spirits, laugh together, share sailing updates from Blueprint’s travels, and banter with Luke. Emma has been a hero, working around the clock to maintain a sense of normalcy for the children while visiting Luke in the hospital and navigating the new full-time job of understanding expenses, insurance, and medical options. While Luke’s paralysis remains, we are thankful that he was accepted to Shepherd Rehabilitation Center in Atlanta, where he arrived on September 16th. For the upcoming weeks at Shepherd, he will receive the best possible care as the long-term outlook becomes more apparent, and Lottie and Oscar are finally able to visit their daddy after a long month apart.

Luke, Emma, Lottie, and Oscar have a hard road ahead - let’s help them all get back on their feet however we can.

Thank you so much for your contribution and for supporting our dear friends in this time of need.