Supporting Chris Coppola's Recovery

Some of you who see this, may not know my cousin Chris Coppola, so I want to provide you with a brief backstory of what transpired on September 6th 2020.

Chris, who is 32 years old, was severally injured when he dove off of a boat and into the water at Tice’s Shoal on Sunday, September 6 approximately 3PM.   Chris unknowingly dove into shallow water and directly into a sand bar.  As you could imagine, his head hit the sand bar, and he was paralyzed at that point, face down in the water.  He said he tried to move but couldn't, so his only option was to remain calm. 

Luckily for Chris, three girls (a Monmouth University student, a teacher, and a nursing student) saw him dive in, and they kept their eyes on him.  When they saw he was still face down and not moving, they immediately jumped into the water to save him.  Once they gently turned him over, they were assisted by another boater, who happened to be a NY Chiropractor, along with another gentleman.  It became a team effort of 6 boaters who all helped bring him to shore, where he was then medevacced (transported by helicopter) to Jersey Shore Trauma Center. 

I have included a picture of Tice's Shoal for those of you who might not be familiar with the area.

With Chris not being able to move any part of his body, there was a myriad of testing and diagnosing procedures performed.  THANK GOD it was discovered that Chris did NOT break any bones of his neck or back.  However, he did have a severe amount of spinal cord bruising and inflammation.  It was determined that this spinal cord bruising was one of the main causes of his paralysis from the neck down, and this spinal cord bruising was significant enough to require Spinal Decompression surgery of his cervical vertebrae (his neck).  The 6 hour procedure required the surgeons to remove several posterior pieces of Chris' cervical vertebrae, and install 3 rods located along the sides of his C3 -C7 vertebrae.  A little bit of anatomy for you......There are 7 cervical vertebrae and C3-C7 simply mean ALL but the top 2 neck bones.

Chris is in a lot of pain, and he is going through the emotional ups and downs of full calamity of his situation.

The great news is that the doctors believe he can make a full recovery, and shortly after the Spinal Decompression surgery, Chris regained some movement in his legs.  Not enough to stand yet, but it's a great start.  The troubling news is that insurance will not cover all that is required and involved for Chris' full recovery.  Additionally, they say it may take close to a year to reach this goal.

So we are asking for your help.  ANY financial help you can offer or donate is truly appreciated.  ANY amount, really does mean ANY amount. 

For those who are able to donate, you do have the option to donate anonymously, as we know some people prefer to keep their donations private.  If you are truly unable to donate, we do understand, but we kindly ask that you share this page to all of your friends as your contribution. 

Go Fund Me is merely a platform that provides us with the opportunity to create such a page, but the only way to have people become aware of Chris' financial need is to have as many people see this page as possible.

Chris is a lifelong resident of Toms River New Jersey.  After losing his mother to Cancer when he was 14 years old, Chris moved in with his Aunt Carole who has taken on the lead maternal role since his mother's passing.  He runs and owns Always Nature’s Way which he will no longer be able to continue, given Chris' condition. 

He is an avid sports fan and former high school football, ice hockey and lacrosse player.  Chris is also a big fan of the New York Rangers, as well as the Philadelphia Eagles---E - A - G - L - E - S--EAGLES!!!

Go Fund Me recommends that I should mention that I will be personally handling all of the donations made on this page on Chris' behalf, and the donations will be used to pay for Chris' medical expenses that won't be covered by insurance.

We sincerely appreciate all of your donations to assist with medical expenses, as well as your thoughts, prayers and intentions towards Chris' full recovery.