Courageous teen on road to recovery

Courageous teen on road to recovery

Alyssa Blair, News Editor

Conor McCormick is currently in rehabilitation at Shepard's Center in Atlanta, Georgia.
Conor McCormick is currently in rehabilitation at Shepard’s Center in Atlanta, Georgia.

On July 17, West Springfield High School junior Conor McCormick was involved in a swimming accident that led to severe spinal cord injury. Now several months later, Conor is on the road to recovery with the whole community cheering him on.

After being treated at Boston Children’s Hospital, Conor was transferred to Shepherd’s Center, a rehabilitation facility in Atlanta, Georgia. Since his arrival, Conor has regained some movements in his upper body, can breath on his own, and is also able to talk on his own.

Updates on Conor’s improvement are shared often on his Facebook page to alert supporters back home of his condition. Other posts on the recovery page notify the community of fundraisers commencing around town.

As soon as three days after his accident, the community began to rally around him, standing up to meet the challenge of assisting this amazing young man. A vigil was held at Conor’s church, Pioneer Valley Church of Christ in Chicopee. The building was filled to the brim with people eager to pray, offer words of encouragement, and be together.

Several other fundraising efforts have commenced around town. One of the biggest fundraisers was organized by the West Springfield Lacrosse Booster Club. T shirts and bracelets were designed and inscribed with the words “Conor Strong,” and are being sold nationally online. The Lacrosse Booster Club also organized and hosted an alumni lacrosse game at Clark Field on Saturday October 9. The event was free, but all donations were donated directly to Conor’s recovery fund. Over the summer, a benefit concert was organized at the West Springfield Middle School where all proceeds were also donated directly to Conor.

The school’s cross country teams are participating in a fundraiser they call Miles for Conor. For every mile they run in the month of October, sponsor will pay a designated amount per mile they run.

Teachers at WSHS participated in a dress down day several weeks ago, where all of their stipends paid to dress more comfortably were donated. The WSHS field hockey team dressed down in pink Conor Strong shirts to show their support for their fellow student.

All proceeds raised have been donated directly to fund Conor’s multi-year recovery. The donation page started on a GoFundMe Page, which raised $52, 935, approximately halfway to the page’s original $100,000 goal, before the donation changed to a different donation site called HelpHOPEDream.

As the recovery process continues for Conor, one thing he will never lose sight of keeping a positive attitude. His strong faith and certainty in his beliefs have made it known to all that Conor will stay strong.

“I was honestly scared to death, I had no clue how to react,” sophomore Griffin Hovey shares when he learned the news of Conor’s accident. Griffin, who knows Conor from playing together on the varsity lacrosse team, says he only knew one thing was certain in his mind. “All I knew was that he would be able to push through it.”

As a reminder that Conor will not lose his faith, his mother shared an important reminder in one of the updates on the HelpHOPELive Donation Site.

“My son has not lost himself. He has lost a lot, but; not his faith, not his soul, not his heart. He is an amazing man of God and an inspiration to many, myself included.”

Looking ahead into the future of his recovery is uncertain for Conor. He cannot come home until his house is renovated to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act. These renovations include an ADA accessible bathroom and bedroom.

For now, Conor will continue to take more positive steps in his recovery process in Atlanta, with the whole region watching and cheering him on with a smile.