On January 29, 2007, Bill Thomas, 40, was a surfer, biker, scuba diver, hiker, coin collector, camper, fisherman, auto mechanic, and – most of all – an adoring husband and father of two boys aged 7 months and 3 years.

On January 30, 2007, Bill went home during his lunch hour to spend it with his family. His neck started to feel odd, and they put an ice-pack on it. He called his family doctor to make an appointment. Then his legs started to feel numb and he asked his wife, Julie, to take him to the emergency room. As Bill started down the hall, he staggered and couldn’t walk, so Julie called 911. By the time he got to the hospital he was paralyzed from the neck down, including the muscles necessary to breathe, and he could only whisper. Bill was in hospitals in California and Georgia until August 24, 2007.

Bill Thomas is one of only 33 people WORLDWIDE known to have suffered a rare spinal stroke. Of those 33 people, he is the only quadriplegic on a ventilator.

Bill needs a trained caregiver 24/7. While the hospitals trained Julie to care for him, insurance has yet to pay for anyone to come in to help. Raising their 2 young boys, taking care of Bill, and trying to schedule simple things like a trip to the grocery store are an every day hardship in the Thomas family. Trying to find the money to pay the bills is even harder. And obviously, neither Bill nor Julie can work right now. To make matters worse, Bill’s father and best friend passed away unexpectedly on October 30. But through it all, Bill and Julie try to retain an optimistic attitude and sense of humor.

RECOVERY

The insurance does not cover Bill’s therapy so they cannot go frequently, but he is recovering quite a bit of movement. The first 18 to 24 months are the most crucial for recovery. “What happened to Bill is so rare that no-one knows the prognosis. He is literally history in the making. I am completely amazed at what movement he has recovered and it is more every session!” said his Special Needs Strength Trainer, Tom Wisenbaker of Progressive Strength Recovery. “Bill is going to be able to use the joy stick on his Sip and Puff wheelchair before the year is out. He attacks every Adaptive Strength Training session with an incredible amount of determination.” Watch a session with Bill by clicking HERE.

“Julie and I have always worked at least 3 jobs between us since we got married.” said Bill Thomas. “We never imagined we would find ourselves in a situation like this where we needed substantial financial help. But I promise all of you: I will work for the rest of my life to pay it forward.”

Every donation of every amount helps. You can give $10, $25 or more through PayPal by clicking HERE.

Additionally, to assist with this immense financial burden, a fundraising campaign for Bill has been established with the NTAF Catastrophic Injury Program. NTAF provides tax deductibility and fiscal accountability to contributors, and is a nonprofit organization that has been offering fundraising assistance to transplant and catastrophic injury families for the past twenty-four years. Contributors can be sure that charitable donations will be used only to pay or reimburse injury-related expenses. To make a tax deductible donation, click HERE.