Dear Friends,
 

Welcome to the site in honor of an amazing individual, Damien Minna. As many of you know, Damien suffered a catastrophic injury on August 21, 2004 while vacationing at Lake Mead, Nevada with his family and close family friends. It was Damien and his family’s third trip to Lake Mead this summer, a yearly tradition that many have attended. Damien, his brother Devin, and his girlfriend Jessica were relaxing on a pontoon boat that was pulled up on the sandy shore. Damien was hot and wanted to cool off in the lake, so he dove off the back of the boat, but he didn’t come up. Damien’s limp body floated face down in the water until Jessica picked him up from behind, thinking Damien was joking.

Devin, still on the boat facing Damien, was first to realize Damien wasn’t fooling around. Damien let out heart wrenching screams. He couldn’t move his arms or legs. Damien’s father and Jessica dragged him to the shore where sandbags were placed around his body to stabilize him. Jessica supported his head while a vacationing nurse checked his vital signs. Damien’s parents, Dennis and Vicky, comforted him until helped arrived.

Many people scattered trying to find help, as they were miles away from the nearest town. Dennis managed to find someone with a radio and called for help. Paramedics arrived first by boat, and within two hours a helicopter was on the scene. Damien was airlifted to the trauma unit at Las Vegas Medical Center. He was having difficulty breathing, and needed immediate assistance. At UMC he underwent the first of three surgeries. X-rays showed Damien had severely fractured his spine. It was found that Damien broke his neck in three places, affecting C2, C4 and C5. The doctors were amazed he was doing this well considering the damage done. The accident was inches away from being fatal. The surgeons at UMC successfully aligned Damien’s spine with artificial bone graph, a metal plate and screws. He emerged from surgery with a halo on his head, unable to breath on his own. Due to significant swelling the doctors could not assess the extent of spinal cord damage. The doctors informed Damien’s parents and his three younger brothers that Damien was now a quadriplegic.

For the next three days Damien was kept heavily sedated in ICU, and breathing on a ventilator. During these crucial 72 hours his family researched the best possible facilities and care for Damien. On Monday, August 23rd, they were finally able to give Damien an MRI to see the actual damage to his spinal cord. Miraculously, Damien’s spinal cord was not severed in the accident.

On Tuesday, August 24th Damien was airlifted from Las Vegas Medical Center to Long Beach Memorial Hospital, where he underwent a 2nd surgery to further stabilize his spine, 4 screws and 2 metal rods were placed in his neck. The rods will keep his neck strong and supported. This allowed the doctors to remove the halo. The surgery was such a relief for Damien, as the halo was causing severe headaches and pain.

On August 27th Damien underwent a 3rd surgery where they administered a tracheotomy to assist in his breathing. This enabled Damien to be removed from the ventilator. Finally, Damien was able to communicate with his loved ones. It is amazing to see how through all of this suffering, Damien remains strong, determined and positive. Although he has had his emotional moments, his loving family and his girlfriend Jessica, as well as an enormous following of friends and supporters have been by his side every step of the way. We now all understand the meaning of “love conquers all.” Damien assures us everyday that he will overcome this challenge. And so far, he has stood by his words.

Every day is a struggle as Damien hopes for continued improvement. It will take time and continued effort from Damien, his doctors, family, and friends to work towards his recovery. At this time, Damien has regained some sensation. He is able to feel you touch him, but has no movement as of yet.

On September 14th, Damien was airlifted to Craig Hospital outside of Denver, Colorado. Craig Hospital is a world renowned spinal cord injury rehabilitation center. Damien spent several months at Craig, working very hard to regain some mobility. On December 20th he returned home with much hope in his heart, and a little movement in his arms.
 

For the 10 months since his injury, Damien has continued strong with physical therapy. And little by little he inches his way toward his goal. Damien’s on going care and financial needs are quite significant, if you wish to help please know your generosity will be greatly appreciated.
 

We have been blessed with some successful fundraisers in Damien's honor. And look forward to more in the near future. We hope everyone will consider taking in part in them. We have listed all of the information about the fundraisers on this site for easy convenience. Please keep checking for those special days!!

“I have trouble finding the words to express the gratitude that I have for all the people that care so much for me and my family. The heartfelt thoughts and prayers that are posted on my website continue to help me as I travel through the windy paths of this intense new journey. Thank you and God bless all of you for caring so much.”
-Damien Minna