On Sunday, September 14, our son, David McCauley, had a tragic diving accident which resulted in a neck fracture and severe damage to his spinal cord.  Thus far he has undergone three surgeries to help alleviate possible embolisms and to help strengthen and support his neck.  He has limited movement in his hands, but no feeling below the chest.  We pray that with aggressive rehabilitation, he will regain use of his entire body, but only time and hard work will tell.

      From this point David will have a very long road to recovery.  We have decided, after numerous hours of research and immense gratitude to Chad, Jen, friends (a special thanks to Dr. Cortland Miller), and the remainder of our extended family, to fly David to the Shepherd Center in Atlanta, Georgia for his aggressive rehabilitation and continued spinal cord injury treatment.  David is ready and eager for this challenge, and with the support and prayers of friends and family, we are hoping for wonderful and miraculous results.

      Many of you have sent your prayers and lifted up our family in this trying time.  We cannot begin to express our gratitude for this and we hope you will continue to pray for us.  Each day is a new challenge, but one that we all are willing to meet without reservation.

      In lieu of flowers, we have established a relationship with the NTFA New York Spinal Cord Injury Fund, where contributions can be made to help defray David’s rehabilitation expenses.  We have also created this website so we can post periodic reports on his progress.  By visiting the Donation tab, you can find out how individuals, groups, and corporations may make supporting contributions. 

      Several friends and businesses are planning fundraising events for David.  We appreciate all of their help and support toward our goal of getting him back to 100%.  As we all know, David has a drive for perfection, and his rehabilitation efforts will be no exception.  He is already planning to meet the challenges of rehab with great vigor and determination.  This is a life-altering event for all of us, but with your continued thoughts, prayers, and support, we look to the future with great hope.

      We encourage you to take a few minutes each day to embrace your family members with hugs of appreciation.  We all feel blessed that we have so many friends and family who have encouraged us through thoughts and prayers, and continue to marvel at the outpouring of kindness. 

     As a favor to us, please forward this to all who know David and his family.  Please sign our guest book with email addresses, so we can send periodic updates on his condition, as well as thank you notes.

Thanks again for all your thoughts and prayers,

Mike, Jean, Chad, David, Jen, Rose (David’s Girlfriend), Tahoe (the dog), and The Mooch (the cat)