While racing at the Gatorback Winter Olympic's on November 24th, Nick DePalo sustained a dislocated hip, shoulder and severe spinal cord injury. He was immediatley airlifted to Shand's hospital where he was admitted to the trauma unit shortly after. A cat-scan revealed a shifting of his 6th and 7th cervical vertebra and almost complete severing of his spinal cord. The trauma to the spinal cord caused loss of sensation and use from the chest down.
He does however have good range of motion in his arms and shoulders, and while he cannot move all of his fingers, he does have movement in his thumbs which the doctors feel is a promising sign for the use of the rest of his fingers. He was transferred to the ICU on November 25th with a collapsed lung that needed immediate attention and he will remain in this unit for a number of days following his neck surgey scheduled for the afternoon of Monday November 27th.
Please continue to pray hard for a speedy recovery and unlimited amounts of strength and courage for him at this extremely difficult time. He needs all of his family, friends and fans more than ever. Please continue to check his website (www.NickDepalo.com) for updates on his progress.
From www.NickDepalo.com
