Steve's Medical Fund
Donation protected
On Saturday morning, October 15, 2016, Steve Goodell was out for his usual group training ride. There was a crash and a number of cyclists went down. He landed badly, and suffered a severe spinal cord injury which paralyzed him from the abdomen down.
Steve spent 2 1/2 weeks at Cooper Medical Center ICU and another 5 months at Magee Rehabilitation Hospital, with intermittent hospital stays. Now, thankfully, he is home.
Steve has not recovered function of his legs, lower abdomen, or fingers. He does have significant and improving use of his neck, shoulders, arms, and wrists. At Magee he received intensive therapy but there are many hurdles still to overcome.
In addition to the time and support provided by many of you, some of you have offered financial assistance. We so appreciate this offer. We are ok in the short term, but the expenses will add up quickly. We are planning needed modifications to the house and our insurance only covers part of the nursing and therapy that Steve needs to progress at home. Some of these needs will decrease with time, but are daunting nonetheless. Any and all donations, no matter how small, will help. The monies that we raise here will be carefully managed and drawn upon to help provide the following:
Short term:
--Daytime nursing
--Overnight health aides.
--Physical, occupational, and swallowing therapy
--Accessability devices and tools that will help get Steve back to work.
Longer term:
--A wheelchair vehicle, adaptable for Steve to eventually drive.
--A specialized bed that will provide the positional changes Steve needs so we don't need an overnight aide.
-- Lightweight manual wheelchair to supplement the power chair provided by insurance.
Steve has always been an active and independent guy -- a high-level runner in high school and college, and competitive cyclist throughout his adult life, but now finds himself dependent on others for daily activities. He is facing his changed life with grace and courage. As a family, we have new-found closeness to and appreciation for family and friends, though we will never be able to thank them all properly. This love and support sustain us. With help, Steve will continue to adapt to his new world.
Thank you all,
Steve, Laurel, Emily, and Molly
[You can follow his progress on our CaringBridge site here.]
Steve spent 2 1/2 weeks at Cooper Medical Center ICU and another 5 months at Magee Rehabilitation Hospital, with intermittent hospital stays. Now, thankfully, he is home.
Steve has not recovered function of his legs, lower abdomen, or fingers. He does have significant and improving use of his neck, shoulders, arms, and wrists. At Magee he received intensive therapy but there are many hurdles still to overcome.
In addition to the time and support provided by many of you, some of you have offered financial assistance. We so appreciate this offer. We are ok in the short term, but the expenses will add up quickly. We are planning needed modifications to the house and our insurance only covers part of the nursing and therapy that Steve needs to progress at home. Some of these needs will decrease with time, but are daunting nonetheless. Any and all donations, no matter how small, will help. The monies that we raise here will be carefully managed and drawn upon to help provide the following:
Short term:
--Daytime nursing
--Overnight health aides.
--Physical, occupational, and swallowing therapy
--Accessability devices and tools that will help get Steve back to work.
Longer term:
--A wheelchair vehicle, adaptable for Steve to eventually drive.
--A specialized bed that will provide the positional changes Steve needs so we don't need an overnight aide.
-- Lightweight manual wheelchair to supplement the power chair provided by insurance.
Steve has always been an active and independent guy -- a high-level runner in high school and college, and competitive cyclist throughout his adult life, but now finds himself dependent on others for daily activities. He is facing his changed life with grace and courage. As a family, we have new-found closeness to and appreciation for family and friends, though we will never be able to thank them all properly. This love and support sustain us. With help, Steve will continue to adapt to his new world.
Thank you all,
Steve, Laurel, Emily, and Molly
[You can follow his progress on our CaringBridge site here.]
Organizer and beneficiary
Molly Goodell
Organizer
Lawrence Township, NJ
Steven Goodell
Beneficiary