Help Carson Rebuild His Life After Spinal Cord Injury

It is a phone call no parent can prepare for. On October 7th, 2024, my husband and I received a call from our 24-year-old son, Carson. The sound of his voice is forever etched in my brain. Carson told us he had been in a motor vehicle accident and that he couldn’t feel his legs.

Carson is an active duty Army Ranger stationed at Hunter Army Airfield in the 1st Ranger Battalion. He enlisted in the Army straight out of high school when he was 18. Carson has been in Savannah, GA for the last five years. Carson has loved the excitement the military has afforded him, and he takes a lot of pride in serving his country. Carson had aspirations to become a Warrant Officer to fly helicopters, he has been waiting to see if he was accepted into the program this November.

On the weekend of October 6th, Carson was asked to participate in a charity golf event hosted by the Sua Sponte foundation outside of Atlanta. This organization is directly associated with having a positive impact on the 1st Ranger Battalion and their families. Carson has taken part in this same event in the years past, but this time it ended differently.

Carson and a fellow Ranger were heading back to Savannah late in the afternoon of the 7th. Presumably, the fellow Ranger Carson had been driving with fell asleep at the wheel, ultimately causing the accident. Emergency crews were quickly on the scene, and they airlifted Carson to a nearby level 1 trauma hospital in Macon, GA.

Carson spent the next seven days in the hospital where he had emergency surgery to decompress and fuse his spine at T11-L3. Carson’s spine was severely compressed at the L1 level, resulting in complete paralysis of his lower body, meaning he has lost all motor, sensory, and some autonomic function from the belly button down.

On Oct. 15th, Carson was medically transported to The Shepherd Center in Atlanta, GA for inpatient rehabilitation specific to spinal cord injury. It is anticipated that Carson will remain there until at least the end of November. My husband and I have been blessed to have physically been with Carson every day, and I can tell you his positive attitude, strength, and determination would blow you away given the circumstances.

We thank God every day that Carson suffered no additional injuries. Carson maintains his intellect, humor, and quick wit, his drive, and motivation. Before the accident, Carson has always lived his life to the fullest, being super active and adventurous. He has skied since he was two years of age, he loves biking, hiking, hunting, boating, and he never says no to trying something new. Carson always goes above and beyond to help people in need. Most recently, he was able to devote his time and chainsaw to help clean up his neighborhood after being hit by the effects of the recent hurricanes.

It has been three weeks since his injury, and we are just now coming to the realization of how different his life is going to look going forward.

The road to recovery is a long one and undoubtedly will come at a high financial cost. We are reaching out to you, our family, our friends, our community, and anyone that is moved by Carson’s story. Whatever the size of the donation, it is greatly appreciated, and if you don’t make a donation, please share Carson’s story.

All donations could potentially help with any of the following:

● Additional medical bills not covered by insurance

● Modified home requirements to accommodate for mobility challenges

● Regenerative therapies

● Adaptive medical and recreational equipment (Carson would LOVE to ski again)!

● Purchasing or retrofitting an appropriate ADA vehicle

● Possible fertility preservation

We are so thankful for all the love and prayers from our friends and family. We are grateful for the support of the 1/75th Ranger Regiment, the Sua Sponte Foundation, and the medical teams that have treated Carson thus far. With our entire being, thank you!

Sincerely,

Ron and Leslie Shaw, the proud parents of this amazing young man.

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