A story of resilience, courage, and hope.
Tommy is a 22-year-old college student, former multi-sport athlete, and fighter who became paralyzed after years of spinal cord surgeries. Despite unimaginable setbacks, he continues to inspire everyone around him with his determination and positive spirit.
Tommy has always been the kind of person who never sits still. From basketball courts and soccer fields to swimming pools and triathlon finish lines, sports weren’t just activities—they were part of who he was. His energy, competitiveness, and love for life shaped the person everyone knows today.
During his freshman year at the University of Louisville, Tommy began experiencing unexplained falls. In April 2024, doctors discovered a spinal cord tumor.
What followed was a journey no young adult should face: multiple surgeries, months in the hospital, and the difficult task of relearning how to walk.
Yet Tommy refused to quit.
Diagnosis of spinal cord tumor
Two surgeries and two months hospitalized
Returns to college and walks up to two miles independently
MRI reveals new cysts affecting spinal cord
Mobility declines significantly
Additional surgeries restore mobility
Returns to campus and independence
Complications lead to paralysis from the trunk down
Diagnosis of spinal cord tumor
Two surgeries and two months hospitalized
Returns to college and walks up to two miles independently
MRI reveals new cysts affecting spinal cord
Mobility declines significantly
Additional surgeries restore mobility
Returns to campus and independence
Complications lead to paralysis from the trunk down
Today, Tommy is classified as an incomplete C7 paraplegic.
He cannot stand, drive, or perform many daily tasks without assistance. Simple activities most people take for granted now require adaptive equipment, ongoing therapy, and support.
But Tommy’s determination remains unchanged.
He continues to focus on rehabilitation, independence, and building a meaningful future.
Every contribution directly supports Tommy’s medical recovery, independence, and quality of life.
Tommy’s journey has been filled with challenges, but it has also been filled with courage, perseverance, and hope.
Your donation will help provide the medical care, adaptive equipment, rehabilitation, and support he needs as he continues working toward greater independence.
This isn’t just a wish list of equipment and renovations. It’s a roadmap to giving Tommy back as much freedom, independence, safety, privacy, and fun as possible. Every contribution, big or small, helps remove another barrier between Tommy and the life he wants to live.
Right now, stairs are more than inconvenient. They can make an entire part of the house inaccessible. An elevator or stair lift would give Tommy access to an upstairs bedroom with the space he needs for his equipment and, perhaps most importantly, a private bathroom and a space of his own.
What your gift buys: Access, privacy, and the freedom to move around his own home.
Because Tommy cannot reposition himself, a caregiver has to manually turn him every two hours, around the clock, to help protect him from pressure sores. An automatic turning bed could do that repositioning while he sleeps.
The dream:
Sleep → Bed gently turns you → Keep sleeping. 😴
Not: Sleep → Wake up → Get repositioned → Try to fall asleep again → Repeat.
This one is about medical safety AND the glorious gift of uninterrupted sleep.
We want to expand the bathroom so Tommy can roll directly into the shower and comfortably access the sink and other necessities.
It may sound like a renovation. To Tommy, it means something much bigger: privacy, dignity, safety, and greater independence with everyday routines most of us never have to think twice about.
We’ll repurpose the existing office and bonus-room space to create a bedroom designed around Tommy rather than asking Tommy to adapt to the room. That means enough space for his equipment, caregivers when needed, and, most importantly, room to actually maneuver his wheelchair without playing furniture Tetris.
Something as simple as stepping outside isn’t simple when stairs stand between you and the backyard. A vertical platform lift would give Tommy wheelchair access outside.
Fresh air. Family cookouts. Sunshine. Hanging out in the backyard.
Things that should never require an invitation or someone carrying you there.
Some days transfers are manageable. Other days, spasms can make moving between the bed, wheelchair, and car much more difficult. This sliding transfer system provides another option on those harder days while reducing friction against Tommy’s skin.
It may be one of the least expensive things on this list, but it could make a huge difference in everyday life.
This might be one of the coolest items on the list.
The Firefly attaches to Tommy’s wheelchair and adds electric power for covering longer distances and tackling grass, pathways, and hills. It also helps reduce the constant strain that manual wheelchair propulsion puts on his shoulders.
Translation: More places Tommy can go under his own power and fewer times he has to ask someone else to get him there.
Independence can’t only be about medical care and getting through the day. It should include having some fun, too.
A sports wheelchair would give Tommy the opportunity to explore adaptive sports such as wheelchair basketball and discover what getting back into competition might look like.
Because sometimes the best therapy might include a ball, a court, teammates, and a little trash talk.
A vehicle adapted for Tommy means more than transportation. It represents the possibility of getting somewhere without his wheelchair determining whether he can go. The planned modifications include a wheelchair lift and adaptive hand controls.
Appointments today. Friends tomorrow. And hopefully, eventually, wherever the heck he feels like going.
Recovery and adapting to life with quadriplegia aren’t one-time expenses. Therapy, medical care, supplies, equipment maintenance, replacements, and all the unexpected costs continue long after the initial hospital stay.
