Cory’s Story

Site created on June 11, 2019

Audrey here....  Here's the incident from my perspective with all the gory details: Cory had a freak accident on Sunday afternoon, 9 June 2019, on the Colorado River near Blythe, CA. He dove off of a dock into the river, which we had been doing all weekend and I did no more than 30 minutes before the incident. But this time things went wrong and he hit the river bottom square with his head crushing his neck. Someone noticed he wasn't coming up and saw blood in the water. Three to five people ran into the water to find him. I saw an adult pull him out limp in their arms. I had no idea it was Cory that they were yelling about, I thought it was one of the little kids in the group. After a moment of panic while running over, I instantly kicked in my recent wilderness first aid training (thank you NOLS and REI!) and supported/immobilized his neck and head. Multiple people gathered to carry him and I directed our movement to safe flat ground. Others instantly called 911 and our mother, who was in Fresno at the time, while myself and a few cousins with medical training assessed Cory checking his vitals. He had a couple large lesions on his head and blood dripping down his face. He kept telling us "I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry" while waiting for the paramedics. He even told us he heard his head hit the bottom, realized he couldn't move and just thought "hold your breath, hold your breath". I was told the first thing he said when being pulled out of the water was "thank you". The paramedics arrived within 30 minutes, loaded him up and drove down the road to meet the airlift. A friend drove me to meet Cory at the hospital 1.5 hours later. He was airlifted to Desert Regional Medical Center in Palm Springs. He was awake and coherent through the entire event until agreeing to being intubated to help him breathe. Luckily, I made it to the hospital just before they intubated him to quickly speak with him. About 25 hrs after the accident, he was taken in for surgery. He fractured every cervical vertebra, severed the two posterior arteries feeding blood to his brain, and his spinal cord suffered damage near C3 and C4. His surgery on the afternoon of June 10th went very well. He is mentally all there, coherent and communicating with us through blinking, frowning and smiling. His neck was fused from the base of his skull down to T1, his entire neck. He cannot feel anything below his chest. He has little bicep movement with some sensation. He will be weened off of the ventilator slowly to see if he can breathe on his own. There is a high chance due to the severity of the damage to the spinal cord near C3 and C4, that he will need a trach to help him breathe until he gets stronger. He's got a long road for recovery ahead but I know his positive outlook on life will help him push though anything, not to mention the giant support system of friends and family that he has. 
Cory's wish list can be found here: https://www.myregistry.com/giftlist/corygoral 

Newest Update

Ride of a lifetime

Journal entry by Audrey Goral —

This September I want to do something bigger than me. I will be cycling the California coast from San Francisco to Los Angeles via scenic Highway 1 to raise awareness and support for those living with arthritis!  

https://events.arthritis.org/participant/AudreyGoral

Many close to me have lived with arthritic pain for years changing the way they live out their life… my grandpa, my mom, friends, and even my dogs. I watched my grandpa progressively struggle with arthritic pain and slowly stop doing the things he loved most like playing piano, gardening or walking through the woods. He lived in continual pain throughout regular activities of daily living. I have watched my mom with pain/weakness opening jars or pinching small objects like buttons, zippers, and pens. I will be riding 525 miles over 8 days to support and raise funds for all those affected by arthritis and its numerous forms. With your help, I hope to help the ones we love by spreading the word and donating to the Arthritis Foundation.

Why the Arthritis Foundation?

Arthritis is a much bigger problem than people think. Did you know 1 in 4 Americans have some form of arthritis?

  • Arthritis is the #1 cause of disability in the US, greatly diminishing our work force.
  • There are over 100 different forms of arthritis, including gout, lupus, and fibromyalgia.
  • Nearly 60 million adults and 300,000 children have at least one form of doctor-diagnosed arthritis.
  • The California Coast Classic (this ride) is the flagship fundraiser to find better treatments and a cure for arthritis and has been running continuously for 23 years.

Doing this event not only helps those living with arthritis but it also helps me. Setting out to do this “ride of a lifetime” helps keep my body healthy and mind balanced amongst juggling the everyday responsibilities of life with caregiving for my brother.

Please join me and the Arthritis Foundation as we help support people and families affected by this horrible group of diseases. Every donation, big or small, counts. Cheer me on in making a difference!

THANK YOU! Your support is greatly appreciated!

Click here for donation page

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