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The above photo, taken just one year earlier on Father's Day, is of my Uncle Jaime Gori with his children, Zach and Brittany. Fast forward to one day before Father's Day 2016....Zach was involved in a very serious car accident last week which left him with fractured vertebrae. It was a heart wrenching day filled with emotion as Zach lay semi-conscious in intensive care while his family awaited the arrival of the neurosurgeon to discuss the prognosis of Zach's fractured cervical and thoracic vertebrae. God provided an excellent neurosurgeon, Dr. Kim, who informed our family that although Zach's broken cervical vertebrae was within millimeters of causing permanent paralysis, he would be able to repair it in surgery and Zach would walk again.
Zach underwent a successful surgery this past Thursday. Dr Kim was able to reinforce Zach's vertebrae and bring his spine to perfect alignment. Amazing! Zach has a long road to recovery but it is filled with hope and promise.
Zach is 19 years old, works construction and lives in his own apartment. He is independent, hardworking, a loyal friend, and also a caretaker of others by nature. Needless to say, he will be unable to work physical labor for quite a few months. Other than his physical health needs, Zach will have to deal with mounting financial expenses as he needs to meet his rent, cover medical deductibles, monthly expenses, and will need to look for a new mode of transportation after his recovery.
I'm sure many of you know my Uncle Jaime. He is such a kindhearted soul who goes out of his way to help not only friends and family, but also complete strangers. Whenever he is driving, It is commonplace for him to stop and offer help to stranded motorists. If you know him, I'm sure you can share countless stories of his generous spirit to help those in need. If you haven't yet, please take time to read the post (below) written by Jaime on Fathers' day...the day after the accident. You will experience a glimpse of his heart and love for his kids.
We're hoping that this fund can be a tangible way to show our love and support for Zach while helping ease the financial burden resulting from this terrible accident. Any donation no matter the size will mean so much. The outpouring of prayers and words of encouragement for Zach and his family have already been overwhelming...it has meant the world to them.
Thank you so much! We appreciate you all. Please also share this page on facebook with your friends and family.
"Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor. If either of them falls down, one can help the other up." Eccl 4:9-10.
Jaime's Post:
"Lemme talk about father's day. We celebrate our dads whether they're a "good dad" or not. This one is different for me. If you're a parent, you know that call nobody ever wants, but we all fear every time they leave. I got that call at 2:12 yesterday morning. My son had been in an accident. No, they couldn't give me any details. They called from his phone because he didn't know who he was or what'd happened. The medic found his phone and found "dad". My label had never been so important. He'd been lying face down in the dirt next to his car, unable to move. He was bloody and trussed up in a c-collar with remnants of his clothes still hanging on. Those hands I'd held to cross the street were smashed and swollen. The hair I'd washed and combed ten thousand times was caked in blood, glass, and dirt. They couldn't give him anything for pain because his blood pressure was dangerously low and they didn't know why and he was neurologically unstable. I couldn't just pick him up and hold him in my lap and tell him it'd be alright. When he finally opened his eyes, he said "can you just put your hand on my shoulder and hold it there? It helps." I think he saw MY pain and knew it'd help me feel less helpless. They said it'd be a few days til we'd know if he'd walk again. Fractures in his thoracic and cervical spine that could've changed his life or ended it. I remembered when my daughter was born that suddenly everything mattered. Every. Little. Thing. The neurosurgeon said the slightest change would've had massive implications. Being a dad is like that half millimeter difference between a chance for recovery and a lifetime of struggle. So we'll be here awhile. He'll have surgery and therapy and my son will walk again. My mom told me I should go home and sleep yesterday. Home... that word never meant so much or so little. What's home but the people who matter? So this is home for now. And father's day? Well this father's day will be like no other for me. This father's day I get to keep my son. The next several months will be filled with struggle, pain, therapy and surgery but we'll do this and be better for it. This quote has come up in my mind a lot recently.
"In the depths of winter, I finally found there lay within me an invincible summer" ~ Albert Camus
We all face winters. None of us are spared, but like trees, it's when we grow deeper. Our roots fill with the nutrients we've gathered and built and the excesses fall away. Winter isn't a bad thing. It's essential to growth and new life. So I know that even in my own depths of winter, there lay within me an invincible summer MADE invincible by the winter."
Zach underwent a successful surgery this past Thursday. Dr Kim was able to reinforce Zach's vertebrae and bring his spine to perfect alignment. Amazing! Zach has a long road to recovery but it is filled with hope and promise.
Zach is 19 years old, works construction and lives in his own apartment. He is independent, hardworking, a loyal friend, and also a caretaker of others by nature. Needless to say, he will be unable to work physical labor for quite a few months. Other than his physical health needs, Zach will have to deal with mounting financial expenses as he needs to meet his rent, cover medical deductibles, monthly expenses, and will need to look for a new mode of transportation after his recovery.
I'm sure many of you know my Uncle Jaime. He is such a kindhearted soul who goes out of his way to help not only friends and family, but also complete strangers. Whenever he is driving, It is commonplace for him to stop and offer help to stranded motorists. If you know him, I'm sure you can share countless stories of his generous spirit to help those in need. If you haven't yet, please take time to read the post (below) written by Jaime on Fathers' day...the day after the accident. You will experience a glimpse of his heart and love for his kids.
We're hoping that this fund can be a tangible way to show our love and support for Zach while helping ease the financial burden resulting from this terrible accident. Any donation no matter the size will mean so much. The outpouring of prayers and words of encouragement for Zach and his family have already been overwhelming...it has meant the world to them.
Thank you so much! We appreciate you all. Please also share this page on facebook with your friends and family.
"Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor. If either of them falls down, one can help the other up." Eccl 4:9-10.
Jaime's Post:
"Lemme talk about father's day. We celebrate our dads whether they're a "good dad" or not. This one is different for me. If you're a parent, you know that call nobody ever wants, but we all fear every time they leave. I got that call at 2:12 yesterday morning. My son had been in an accident. No, they couldn't give me any details. They called from his phone because he didn't know who he was or what'd happened. The medic found his phone and found "dad". My label had never been so important. He'd been lying face down in the dirt next to his car, unable to move. He was bloody and trussed up in a c-collar with remnants of his clothes still hanging on. Those hands I'd held to cross the street were smashed and swollen. The hair I'd washed and combed ten thousand times was caked in blood, glass, and dirt. They couldn't give him anything for pain because his blood pressure was dangerously low and they didn't know why and he was neurologically unstable. I couldn't just pick him up and hold him in my lap and tell him it'd be alright. When he finally opened his eyes, he said "can you just put your hand on my shoulder and hold it there? It helps." I think he saw MY pain and knew it'd help me feel less helpless. They said it'd be a few days til we'd know if he'd walk again. Fractures in his thoracic and cervical spine that could've changed his life or ended it. I remembered when my daughter was born that suddenly everything mattered. Every. Little. Thing. The neurosurgeon said the slightest change would've had massive implications. Being a dad is like that half millimeter difference between a chance for recovery and a lifetime of struggle. So we'll be here awhile. He'll have surgery and therapy and my son will walk again. My mom told me I should go home and sleep yesterday. Home... that word never meant so much or so little. What's home but the people who matter? So this is home for now. And father's day? Well this father's day will be like no other for me. This father's day I get to keep my son. The next several months will be filled with struggle, pain, therapy and surgery but we'll do this and be better for it. This quote has come up in my mind a lot recently.
"In the depths of winter, I finally found there lay within me an invincible summer" ~ Albert Camus
We all face winters. None of us are spared, but like trees, it's when we grow deeper. Our roots fill with the nutrients we've gathered and built and the excesses fall away. Winter isn't a bad thing. It's essential to growth and new life. So I know that even in my own depths of winter, there lay within me an invincible summer MADE invincible by the winter."