Zechs Journey - Rehab for Zecharyah

On October 11, 2017 Zecharyah (17) was a passenger in a vehicle that spun out of control at high speeds and hit a tree. While the seatbelt he was wearing did save his life, Zecharyah's pelvis was broken and he sustained significant injuries to his spinal cord (severed nerves at C4,  and fractures at C4, C5, C6. He also sustained vascular damage and has broken and missing bone in his spinal cord). The injuries sustained have left Zecharyah quadriplegic. Prior to the accident Zecharyah was a typical teenage boy who was very active in sports playing for both the basketball and football teams at St. Joseph's Catholic High School in Barrie, Ontario as well as a player for the Barrie Royals. He was described as being "someone who would cheer you on/up" and a "team player", somebody who "would help anyone" and who helped those with exceptional needs. He was well liked and was a source of support for many at St. Joseph. We have been told that Zecharyah's journey is going to be a long one. He is going to require extensive physiotherapy/rehab in the years to come to help him become as independant as possible. Very early numbers indicate that physiotherapy that is NOT covered by insurance  starts at around $15,000/year. I am aiming to raise funds for 5 years worth of physiotherapy for Zecharyah. I understand that this is no small feat, but I am also aware that Zecharyah's family is going to incur many other costs in the future (personal care attendants, wheelchairs, wheelchair van, home modification etc) and I wanted to try to raise funds for something specific for Zecharyah that could improve the quality of his life.  Physiotherapy/Rehab is a necessary component of Zecharyah's healthcare plan.  Due to his spinal cord injury reaching his C4 disc, physiotherapy is necessary to prevent atrophy of his muscles, to increase blood circulation to help prevent clots, and improve his cardivascular health. Most importantly it will help prevent/minimize the potential of autonomic dysreflexia which is a life threatening condition. Rehab will also preserve Zecharyah's dignity and will create the opportunity for future independence. I am hoping that by reaching out into the community that others will be willing to help contribute to a young man, that despite his situation is determined to do something good with his life. Every little bit will help, whether it is $1 or $1000. If you have read this far, thank you. Please consider donating and/or sharing Zecharyah's story. His progress can be followed on his Facebook page "Zech's Journey". Thank you for your support. *Photo and story shared with permission from Zecharyah *Go Fund Me has requested the following for transparency purposes: All of the funds raised here on Go Fund Me are going to be withdrawn and deposited into Zecharyah's Trust Account that was set up by his mother Lisa Marie Piantoni (Mountney) and her husband Alessandro Piantoni. You may notice that the "benificiary" is listed as Alessandro Piantoni, this is solely for the purposes of withdrawing the funds on Zecharyah's behalf.