Our Grant Recipients
We are committed to our mission of giving back to the spinal cord injury community. Our goal is to help those in need, and partner with our grant recipients to get to know them and align on how the dollars can make the biggest impact in their lives. The nature of spinal cord injuries is that they are not all the same, very much like the lives and needs of our recipients. We want to be as accommodating and supportive as possible to improve their quality of life.
2024 Grant Recipients
Nate Poole
On March 4th, Nate was off to his softball game, he was playing right center field, there was a fly ball, he ran, got to the fence, jumped up, hit his head on something in the fence and that’s when everything changed for Nate. In that instance, he fractured his C3 vertebrae and when he came to, he was paralyzed from the chest down. Nate’s primary goal is to wean off of the ventilator completely and ultimately, long term, be able to walk again and regain function of his arms and hands.
Nate is married to the love of his life, Tamara Lam-Plattes and he doesn’t know where he’d be without her love and support. She’s incredible! The way she has handled everything that has come along with this injury in addition to being a mother to their two kids and managing their move from San Francisco to Boston has been amazing. Together they have two beautiful and energetic kids. Nate’s main focus and priority is to be able to show up for his family and be there for them. He is so grateful for Justin and Sarah and the Tbird Foundation.
Nate Poole is an accomplished professional, attended Brown University, where he was an active member of their college football team. Sarah has known Nate since her 20’s and met through mutual friends that went to Brown University. T-Bird Foundation is honored to be able to help Nate and his family and will support them not only financially but with the resources they need to adjust to their new dynamic.
John McDermott
Just under a year ago, John was hit by a car in front of his house the afternoon before Thanksgiving and sustained a C-7 T-1 spinal cord injury along with many broken bones. John spent 140 nights in the hospital and in rehab. Just a few months ago, John started his rehabilitation at Journey Forward.
John received a grant to help cover the cost of Journey Forward. For those that don’t know Journey Forward is a spinal cord injury gym in Canton that has fantastic trainers with the best Physical Therapy around for Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) patients. The unfortunate reality is that the hourly cost of rehab is quite costly and not covered by insurance. T-Bird Foundation is grateful to be able to provide financial assistance to John to lighten the financial burden of such an important part of his recovery.
Mike Richards
“In April of 2023 I was riding my motorcycle when a driver pulled out in front of me at the worst possible time. After being care-flighted to Boston, I was diagnosed with a T-11 complete SCI. I don’t really concern myself with the medical classification or prognosis though. To me that is just a tool the hospital created to help categorize things that are difficult to predict. I am confident I will walk again one day whether through my own efforts, advances in medicine, or both. Every day I wake up and chip away at this goal through physical therapy, staving off the ancillary issues caused by an SCI, and learning more about the exciting new things doctors and clinics are doing around the world to help people just like me!
On the really hard days, I remind myself that I am lucky to still be here. I still get to be a part of my family and friend’s lives. I still get to chase my passions, reach goals, and be a part of this world. I am genuinely grateful for that.
The T Bird Foundation generously issued me a grant and I am using it to pay for driving lessons and having hand controls installed in my car. To be back on the road again is a huge blessing in my life and it enables me to enjoy more freedom and independence. One step closer to getting my life back and one more thing I will not let this SCI take from me! Stay positive and never give up! Thank you to all the donors at the T Bird Foundation.”
2023 Grant Recipient
Heather Edison
In early January 2023, while on winter break from her job as an occupational therapis at Weymouth public schools, Heather Edison had a fall in her kitchen that broke her C3/4 vertebrae, causing her to lose feeling and movement below her shoulders. With stays at four different hospitals around Massachusetts, Heather endured many surgeries and procedures in the first few weeks of her injury, including spinal fusion, a tracheostomy, and being on a ventilator. She also battled pneumonia and pleural effusion early on but didn’t give up. Slowly but surely, she celebrated each milestone, such as weaning off the ventilator and passing her swallow test!
Upon getting stronger, in May, she was accepted into a rehabilitation program at the Shepherd Center in Atlanta, GA, where she stayed for 7 weeks. There she learned adaptive techniques to help her adjust to her new reality of living with a spinal cord injury, such as operating her wheelchair and using her cell phone. Upon her arrival home, she contracted a serious infection which kept her hospitalized for another 3.5 weeks. However, her trach was removed before being discharged and that was another landmark achievement. Heather has been home on the South Shore now since mid-August and is working with the help of her mom to line up home care and order all necessary supplies.
They say that the first year of a spinal cord injury is the hardest and this is proving to be true! There is so much to learn, so much to fight for, and so much to purchase to acclimate to this new way of living. With the help of the T-Bird Foundation and their generous grant, Heather will be able to start renovating her bathroom which needs to be reconstructed to accommodate her shower chair. Heather is so very grateful for the amazing support from Sarah, Justin and the T-Bird Foundation!