Evan's Recovery Fund!

Evan French is 21 years old and recovering from a spinal injury that occurred during a construction accident on March 22nd.  Evan was working with his crew when a wall came down, causing him to fall backwards onto a 2 x 6" board that was on the ground, and the wall then fell on him.  He was taken by ambulance to Regions Hospital in St. Paul. 

Evan's twelfth thoracic vertebrae was shattered and the spinal cord damaged, leaving him with very little feeling and movement below the pelvic area.  He has so far undergone two surgeries in three days to remove the bone fragments from the back and front of the spinal cord, as well as relieve pressure from the spine.  The second surgery was performed to create a "brace" on a section of his spinal cord where the vertebrae was crushed, as this will be crucial support for his spine.  This was completed by removing one of his ribs that was then grafted to the bone fragments and placed around the spine. 

There will be many new expenses in his journey, which will be necessary to help Evan adapt to his new life.

Evan will have several weeks of inpatient rehab where he will need to work extremely hard.  While he is there, his parents, Keith and Lynn French, along with his sister Livi, will be working to modify their home to accommodate his needs as once his inpatient therapy is complete, he will be moving back home with them.  While at home, he will receive outpatient therapy for months to come, with the goal of him living independently again.  He will also then need to determine his next career path.

Your love, support and prayers are so appreciated.  We never thought something like this would happen.  Evan loves his independence; in January he moved into an apartment in River Falls with his roommate and loved living on his own.  He loves being outside building homes, hiking, driving and listening to music, and being a drummer for the Hudson band Exmordium, which he formed with his close high school friends. He's very proud of his self-taught drumming abilities and double bass skills. We are eager to create a road for him in which these things are once again possible. 

Evan is a very charismatic, giving, thoughtful person and we are hoping to be able to assist with many of the costs that will be new to him.

To stay connected and continue on this journey with us, please visit his Caring Bridge website www.caringbridge.com/visit/evanfrench. 

Thank you for caring and reading Evan's story.