Accommodations for Vincent N. Crowley Jr

I have known Vince for over 22 years. He has been a brother to me, a wrestling teammate (Yea, Mules!), Frat Bro (Phi Beta Sigma!), and a word of reason to me for many years. Here is his story, as I know he won't tell it for himself, even though he likes to talk a lot.

On December 14, 2020, doctors found the first abscess on Vince's spinal cord and three compressed vertebrae. He got a laminectomy to decompress his spinal cord and remove the infection and was on antibiotics. He suffered incomplete paraplegia from that incident.

A few weeks later, the laminectomy failed, so he had to have a spinal fusion at KU Medical. The surgeon fused the T1-T5 vertebra with a 20cm titanium rod. Vince was in KU inpatient rehab from December 28-February 2, 2021 followed by outpatient rehab from February 5th to November 20th. Upon completion of outpatient rehab, Vince regained the ability to walk with assistive equipment.

Fast-forward to September 5th, 2023 when he returned to KU Med. with severe back pain. He underwent a second surgery to remove infection on his spinal cord between T7 and T9. His neurosurgeon removed the old hardware, replaced it with new hardware, and extended the fusion to T-11. Vince was recovering well. He was hopeful that he'd only get stronger from here. Wrestling and getting a win back was out of the question (we are too old), but maybe some light strolling with my brother was something I thought of in the near future. 

However, on September 28th, debilitating back pain led to a late-night visit to the ER where doctors discovered a hematoma on Vince's spine. He had to undergo a third spinal surgery. The pressure of the hematoma injured his spinal cord and left him paralyzed from the waist down. Doctors are uncertain if Vince will regain the use of his legs....only time will tell.

It's sad that it takes a tragedy/setback in life to bring you close together to friends, loved ones, or family. But, I guess that's where life takes us.

Vince's road to recovery is a long one as doctors say it will take 12-18 months. On November 29th, Vince begins 6-8 weeks of intensive outpatient therapy at Ability KC in Kansas City. He will go five days/week for 5-6 hours/day. Doctors believe this is his best opportunity, locally, to receive the rehabilitation he needs to help maximize his recovery and achieve independence.

In addition to the costs associated with transporting Vince to Ability KC, Vince now has additional needs as a result of his most recent injury, which has increased the financial burden on the family (even with insurance). Those needs include, but are not limited to:

-Medical supplies/equipment

-Medications

-Travel expenses to/from KU and Ability KC