GoFundMe, an Internet fundraising platform known worldwide, has been helping multitudes of people who are in dire need of financial and emotional support as they grapple with difficult life situations.
A GoFundMe account was created recently to support the healing and recovery of a California rugby player who sustained a spinal injury while his team fought for the national rugby championship. To date, the support group has been able to raise about $730,000 of its $1.0 million target to defray the medical expenses for the spinal injury victim, Robert Paylor.
Paylor injured two vertebrae at the base of his neck after he landed forcefully on the ground as he played in the big game. The impact of the fall caused the disc between the vertebrae to slip and push against the spinal cord, damaging the nerves. As we know, the spinal column is an integral component of the nervous system that has an extraordinary role in maintaining the body’s state of balance and optimal function. Hence, an injury can cause a loss of muscle function (paralysis) to the affected body parts.
True to form, Paylor’s spinal injury resulted in a paralysis from his chest and down to the legs. Although he can still move slightly his wrists and toes, the injury caused dysfunction to most of his muscles, and an inability to move independently. Also, as the muscles in his abdomen and lungs weakened, it has become difficult for him to cough and clear secretions from his lungs. This has led to respiratory complications, such as pneumonia.
The spinal injury caused devastating changes to Paylor’s life, indeed. Yet, he is still fortunate to have received early intervention. A decompression surgery was completed immediately after the injury, in which the slipped disc was removed, preventing further damage.
However, the journey toward Paylor’s full recovery will not be immediate or by any means easy. He will have to go through a lot of pain during the rehabilitation phase. In fact, when he contracted pneumonia, he had to undergo a procedure that involved applying a manual compressive force downward onto his rib cage to improve his respiratory function.
Such a procedure is painful and uncomfortable, but, Paylor was very determined and cooperative. As his father said, “Lying there, they would be pumping on him for hours, but he just said ‘bring it on’… He’ll take whatever pain he needs to endure to get better.”
While Paylor’s family and friends are positive of his full recovery because of his determination, they know that the rehabilitation stage will be challenging and costly. Thus, they are very grateful for the outpouring of financial, emotional, and spiritual support from people all over the world.
The attorneys at the Alexander Law Group, LLP have years of experience representing clients who have been injured through recreation sports and other accidents. If you or a loved one have been injured, contact us online or call 888.777.1776 for a free case consultation.
