A New Mountain to Climb

On Tuesday, Jan. 31, on our parent's first full day of vacation in Maui, a freak accident in the ocean would change everything as we know it in an instant. While no one witnessed the accident firsthand, Dad was swimming in the water at Big Beach and it is presumed that the large waves that day and shore-break caught him off guard and knocked him face-first into the sand, consequently breaking his neck at the C4 and C5 vertebrae. He also suffered numerous facial and orbital fractures, broken clavicles, several broken ribs and injured lungs in the process. Thanks to the quick action of kind and amazing strangers, Dad was pulled out of the water and administered live-saving CPR. He has been in the Intensive Care Unit ever since. Due to the severity of his injuries, he is currently paralyzed, on a ventilator and unable to speak, though the hospital staff in Colorado are currently working to wean him off the ventilator and breathe on his own (which he is expected to fully be able to do soon). He has some feeling and movement in his arms, so we are very hopeful he will regain significant mobility in the upper half of his body, however, we are still hoping for a miracle in terms of his ability to recover and even walk in the future. Prior to his injury, he was running and hiking daily, and was in the best shape of his life. This summer he even summited a 14er (a mountain that is taller than 14,000 feet above sea level), which he had been wanting to do ever since he moved to Colorado. The ultimate dream is to get back there, or as close as possible, but there is still a long road ahead. If anyone is determined to make it happen though, it is our Dad.

When the accident occurred, we flew out to Hawaii to help and support our parents and explore his treatment options. Not long after we arrived, it became apparent that we needed to get Dad back to the mainland and into an intensive care facility in Colorado. We made arrangements for an Air Ambulance to transport Dad to Denver where he was admitted to UC Health Hospital. They immediately operated to stabilize his neck and he has remained in intensive care to balance treatment for his multiple injuries and work to build back strength in his lungs. He is making progress and we hope to have him ready to move beyond surviving to begin his actual recovery. We are fortunate he has been accepted into Shirley Ryan Ability Lab in Chicago, one of the top spinal rehabilitation centers in the world, and that they see Dad as we do, a fighter. In order to get there, we will be taking another Air Ambulance flight within the week so that treatment and recovery can begin.

As you would expect, we are incurring many out-of-pocket expenses that insurance will not cover. We have dropped everything to support the family through this unexpected tragic accident, including flying to Hawaii, booking accommodations to be close to dad for hospital visits, and coordinating and paying for an Air Ambulance flight to get him out of Hawaii to Colorado, which cost $115,000. Looking ahead, we will be coordinating another Air Ambulance flight to get him to inpatient rehab in Chicago. My mom and aunt (Dad's sister) will be staying in Chicago for several months during Dad’s rehab, while we will look to make regular flights out to visit. In the wake of this event, many family members and friends have reached out asking what they can do to support us, so we decided to set up this page for just that. Any donations made here will go directly towards out-of-pocket expenses incurred to help dad get the best medical care and family support. Please do not feel obligated to donate, as we recognize we are in a better situation than most in terms of the capacity to deal with this type of event, however, we wanted to provide an outlet for those who have inquired about ways to support. In addition, Dad loves hearing all the messages of love, encouragement and support so please feel free to send any messages here, to his cell phone or to his email, all of which we are checking for him regularly.

Even in the darkest of moments, there is light to be found though. We are immensely grateful to the bystanders on the beach that day, who cared enough to take action to jump in the water to help a stranger. To a kind family from Utah, who took several hours and days out of their vacation to comfort our mom before we could get to Hawaii ourselves, and who have checked in multiple times a day since. To the medical staff in Maui who saved his life, and to the incredibly professional and thorough staff at UC Health who have provided the most amazing care close to home in Colorado. Plus, the many friends, and friends of friends, who were willing to reach out on our behalf to help us get accepted and transferred into the ICU at UC Health to begin with. And, to the many other demonstrations of kindness, love and support along the way, which there are way too many to list. This accident has shown us how incredibly lucky we are to have so many amazing friends and family in our lives, near and far.

Thank you for your continued encouragement and support, it means the world. We are looking ahead with much positivity, hope and optimism for what is possible!

-Sara & Lisa