We've delivered dozens of care baskets to the newly injured over the last five years, and we never really know how the interaction will go. Our biggest hope is that our visit plants a seed that might guide the individual back to our community once they leave the hospital. These are always meaningful encounters for us given the gravity of the situation, but what we experienced last Wednesday when we met Kero, pictured below, caught us off-guard.
We rolled into Kero's room and found him surrounded by loved ones. The 20-year-old CNA suffered a T3 Spinal Cord Injury after being hit by a drunk driver while riding his motorcycle home from work last month. The looks on the faces of his parents and cousin who were visiting showed a family in crisis, but Kero had a wide smile on his face.
He had seen our website and was eager to ask questions. We talked about the dark early days and broken dreams, but then we also shared the highlights of our own story - traveling, getting married, having kids - and all the great organizations that are out there helping others piece together a new life of meaning and purpose, whether through sports, school, or new relationships.
As we were getting ready to leave, Kenny offered his number to Kero and let him know he'd be there for the down days. Kero leaned forward and said to Kenny, "I want to be here for you on your down days, too." It's a rare moment when we show up to provide support and get offered support in return.
We feel honored to be in the position to have these interactions and they seem to be coming more frequently than ever in 2024. We are extremely thankful to all our donors, sponsors and volunteers that fuel this organization and make these visits possible.
Proceeds from our 5k for Today will go towards these care baskets and the rest of our programs with the mission of connecting and empowering the paralysis community. Click here to register!