UPDATE 07.21.21 (from ANewHope4James and Meg Campbell on Instagram):  Grateful. One small word that fills so much room in a heart. Our journey on this road to recovery and healing with James has been paved by support, love and so much generosity from people all over the world. This last week the universe worked its magic again. We were gifted a Pilates machine from a warm, wonderful and generous person to keep James on this road to recovery at home. With help from our @zebrafishneuro book and the Pilates equipment from @ryeryelovemore , we will be able to assist James in ways we would never had dreamed of. Thank you Ryane. We are, and will always be, grateful!

UPDATE 06.17.21 (from JAMES on Instagram at ANewHope4James):  Hello all, I know it’s been a while since I’ve checked in, but I’m here with an honest update on how my recovery has been going and what I’ve been up to.

I have been going to PT twice a week and working hard on a lot of different things. I continue to do therapy at my house every day. I’m trying my best to get back to normal, however I am still far away. It has been incredibly hard for me to live with my spinal cord injury, and many of my battles have been fought with my own mind.

As many of you know, I was someone who was very proud of the life I was living and believed there wasn’t anything I couldn’t do…until this accident. It has been an extremely humbling and very painful journey. I have lost the ability to live my life the way I’ve always known, and it’s been really hard to continue to have faith and keep up the fight of just living each and every day. I’m always open to talk about mental health and how it has affected how I deal with my injury and recovery.

I very firmly believe that I will not live my life in a chair or with a walker. It has been so amazing to see all of the support that you all came to offer. I want to thank all of you personally for being there for me and my family in this surreal time. It was wonderful feeling knowing that people were rooting for me and offering their support. I want to extend my personal phone number (970) 682-8854 to anyone that wishes to get in contact with me. I am always happy to receive messages or questions and I will always get back to you. Your support is so meaningful. This community means so much to me and I am forever thankful for all of you that have helped make my recovery possible.

Thanks to your support and donations we were able to put an elevator in our house and have been able to get the equipment that I’ve needed to help me in my recovery so far. I have been building myself up brick by brick and I plan to emerge as a new, fully recovered version of myself. The journey ahead will require a lot of physical and occupational therapy as well as finishing my degree at CU Boulder. I plan to take part in clinical trials in the near future and will be doing everything possible to make my dreams become a reality. I am going to fight until I am where I would have been without this injury. I want you all to know that you’re supporting someone who will do what it takes to succeed and I’m looking forward to continuing this journey with all of you. I’m forever thankful for all your support and I send all my love out to you.

Until we speak again!
Love,
James

UPDATE 1.22.21:  James' story was picked up by People.com (Joelle Goldstein). You can read it here: A New Hope 4 James in People

UPDATE 01.20.21:  James' story was featured on CBS4 Denver (KCNC - Kathy Walsh). Check out the interview here:  A New Hope for James on CBS 4

UPDATE 12.24.2020: We have an Instagram page with stories and more frequent updates. Find us here at ANewHope4James.

UPDATE 12.18.2020: James is now MOVING BOTH THUMBS and the POINTER FINGER ON HIS RIGHT HAND! We are encouraged by his progress. He is fighting so hard every day to get better.

James' Story:  On Sunday, September 20, 2020, James Campbell suffered a rare and severe spinal stroke. Only 21 years old, this stroke nearly killed him, and he was left paralyzed from the chest down. James spent three weeks in the ICU at the CU Anschutz Medical Campus in Aurora CO before being transferred to Craig Hospital on October 8, 2020. Craig Hospital is a state-of-the-art spinal and brain trauma research hospital in the Denver Metro Area.

James has a rare posterior spinal cord infarct, even more uncommon because of his age. His doctors at Craig Hospital have seen only a small number of patients with this type of spinal stroke. Although his long-term prognosis is uncertain, James is working hard every day and is determined to fully recover. James is scheduled to be released to Craig Hospital’s out-patient care program in early January. He is still in a wheelchair, and his family needs to make modifications to their home and purchase adaptive equipment to help James be successful. He will need physical therapy, medications, and more doctor visits as he continues his recovery.

We have set a goal of $100,000 to help James and his family focus on his treatment and recuperation.

The Campbell family is thankful to the community for their prayers, cards and letters, and for showing James so much love and support during this time.

*This fundraiser was created by James Campbell's extended family.