Mom's charity helps spinal cord injury victims

It was supposed to be one of the best weekends of his life.

While in Florida to attend the 2010 Superbowl, Anthony Purcell was enjoying a morning at a Miami beach in waters he had grown up in as a child before moving to California. At 22, the part-time model and student and former high school sports star had his whole life ahead of him.

Micki Purcell and son Anthony, before his spinal cord injury accident deemed him paralyzed.

PHOTO COURTESY WALKING WITH ANTHONY

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But in a life-changing second, Anthony accidentally dove into a sandbar, breaking his neck and bruising his C5 and C6 vertebrae. Luckily, his cousin Bernie pulled him ashore and quickly got him the necessary medical attention that would save his life. But after a four-hour surgery and only three weeks in the hospital, Anthony was released with the dismal prognosis given to so many with spinal cord injury (SCI): Anthony was told he'd never walk again.

When it comes to SCIs, most insurance companies find the rehabilitation prospects too grim and costly. But Anthonys mother, Micki Purcell, was not one to simply accept the bad news, and luckily, she had the finances to explore other routes. Her quest led her to Carlsbad-based Project Walk, one of the countrys only rehabilitation centers that focuses solely on vertebrae and spinal injury recovery. There, Newport Beach resident Anthony has spent two years working with a team of doctors and therapists to relearn the skills most master in their first year of life.

Miraculously, Anthony is now able to stand with a walker, and is showing more signs of improvement everyday.

With the courageous zeal of the mothers who have advocated for their children and started programs such as Mothers Against Drunk Driving, Purcell has been relentless in finding hope for her son. And after meeting so many along the way who do not have the financial resources to seek adequatecare for their similarly paralyzed loved ones, Purcell started Walking with Anthony, a non-profit to raise funds for research and rehabilitation for those who otherwise would not have hope for a future outside of a wheelchair.

The first two recipients of Walking with Anthony aid received help out of Purcells own pocket. In a freak accident, bride-to-be Rachelle Friedman was jokingly pushed into a pool during her bachelorette party and became known on nationwide news outlets as the paralyzed bride. She later married her devoted fiance in a ceremony in which her father pushed her down the aisle in her wheelchair.

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Mom's charity helps spinal cord injury victims