My name is Alex Agan. My life took a dramatic turn on November 23, 2015. In the blink of an eye, a day at the pool with my family in Mexico ended with a life changing incident that would dictate how I would live the rest of my life. As we enjoyed our time in the sun, a trip down a water slide ended in catastrophe when I hit my head on the bottom of the pool. The resulting injury - a crushed C4, 5 and 6 vertebrae - left me a quadriplegic.
Up to this point in my life and through this journey I am lucky to have a supportive family, dedicated friends, and an embracing community. I now look to the future and prepare myself for the next stage, independence.
I am fortunate that I am insured, which has covered millions of dollars in medical, therapeutic and disability fees. Unfortunately, the reality of living an independent life as a quadriplegic goes well beyond insurance coverage. Below are some examples of expenses that I expect to encounter:
Today: Enhanced mobility with push assist wheels for manual wheelchair ($8,400), apartment accessibility modifications (~$10,000)...
Tomorrow: Upgraded Wheelchair Van for Alex to drive ($25-30,000), FES Rehab Bike ($27,000), non-covered therapies ($5,000)...
Investing for future possibilities: Promising experimental treatments, e.g., Stem Cell spinal injections...
This is a life-long journey. I have made it this far because of the people around me and their support. I would like to invite you to join my team of family, friends and community.
Thank you,
Alex Agan
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My accident, hospital stays, and initial return home (November 2015 - June 2016) were documented through blog posts, pictures, and videos on CaringBridge. We invite you to log into CaringBridge to get a detailed view of my 7 months of recovery between Mission Hospital and Craig Hospital. To stay updated please check-in here at alexagan.com and also follow @RIGHTNOWforAlexAgan on Facebook!