CHAD'S STORY On December 5, 2001, two weeks away from turning 21, Chad went snowboarding at Kirkwood Resort, Ca. (click to view pics of Chad before the accident) Snowboarding was his favorite sport and he’d been on this jump dozens of times. Weather conditions changed, it began to snow and snow on his fogged goggles prevented him from knowing where the bottom of the jump was. He landed flat on his back; his friends watching him knew immediately he couldn’t move his body. He was lifted to Washoe Medical Center, Reno for immediate surgery to remove broken bone on his vertebrae. He was totally paralyzed. His breathing was shallow and heart rate slowing quickly. We were told Chad would never walk again. Surgery was successful and he received feeling in his legs and had arm movement. His next surgery was at Stanford and was very successful also. His neck was rebuilt with rods and screws. Feeling came back to his entire body. Chad suffered a level C5/C6 incomplete spinal cord injury and was paralyzed from the chest down. He was always a gifted athlete, loved water sports such as wakeboarding, golf and fishing. He had been living on his own and ready to attend college in Long Beach. Chad was relocated to Santa Clara Valley Med Center in San Jose and remained there three months. He was told to get used to living in his chair. After arriving back home in Lodi, CA, we scrambled to find vigorous therapy to keep Chad from regressing. Chad attended water therapy two times a week for about a year and the best therapy we could find was minimal. After 2 years in a chair and searching online for new hope, he found Project Walk. Their website stated that they push though all traditional barriers for physical therapy and don’t accept “No” as an answer. They have a positive, supportive atmosphere in which the chair is not viewed as the end. Clients are encouraged to continue until all goals are met. Chad arrived in Carlsbad, June, 2004….weak. Project Walk is an extensive physical therapy program for people with spinal cord injuries who have a goal of full recovery. People come from around the world. There is no other facility like it that gets the results of walking. Chad’s dedication and hard work make him an excellent client. He always arrives at therapy focused to work hard and determined to achieve his maximum potential. Insurance does not cover Chad’s treatment at Project Walk, nor does it cover his housing costs, caretaker and living expenses. His monthly expenses run around $10,000. At this time Chad has been at Project Walk since June of 2004. His mom and step-dad absorbed this expense until now. They have run out of money and are planning fundraisers to help Chad through this next phase. Recently Chad’s mom, Rhonda met with his trainers and asked exactly where Chad is with his progress. They said they expect him to stand and sit in 6 months and should be taking steps in another 6 months.
Chad sees a light at the end of this tunnel...we can’t stop at this point after making so much progress. We are reaching out and asking for help. Our fund raising efforts will ensure continued physical therapy opportunities for Chad as he moves forward on his journey toward a more independent lifestyle. | 
