With that, his voice broke, a rare occurrence. "It is really hard. You can't deny that," said Emmett, who job prevents her from spending as much time with Gjos as she'd like. "But with his strength of character and optimism, he's getting through it. I try to be really positive around him. With the right resources and a lot of determination, there's a great chance he will have a lot of recovery."

Vogel, a business school classmate, has been instrumental in giving Gjos logistical support and exploring ways to provide the financial support Gjos will need to continue with rehabilitation and his daily life.

According to the National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center, there are 183,000 to 230,000 spinal cord injured people in the United States. Sports injuries account for 8.1% of such injuries. The average lifetime costs of medical service, equipment and living expenses for quadriplegics and paraplegics can exceed $1 million.

Gjos' insurance covered his hospital costs, but coverage of rehabilitation sessions is limited to 50 a year, an average of one a week. "That's not going to get me back on my feet," he said. "Here I was, ready to do anything I needed to do in terms of physical therapy to get back on my feet, and the insurance company is saying they're going to limit my access to professionals who can help. As a result, I've had to find other ways."

To help him, Vogel and two classmates founded SCORE, Spinal Cord Opportunities for Rehabilitation Endowment. Established as a non-profit organization under the auspices of the California Community Foundation, it aims to raise $500,000 to cover the medical, transportation and other costs associated with spinal cord injuries. Gjos is meant to be the primary beneficiary, but Brown students and alumni, UCLA students and alumni and those who suffer spinal cord injuries while playing hockey are eligible for grants. Spinal cord injury research also may benefit. SCORE maintains a Web site with links to information on Gjos and spinal cord injury support groups (http://www.scorefund.org).

"Much of it was done with the idea of Sean getting back up, but also to make something positive out of this unfortunate situation," Vogel said.

Support from the school, Vogel said, has been phenomenal. An anonymous donor challenged Gjos' class to raise $25,000 with 60% participation; more than $40,000 was raised and 60% was exceeded. Roger Enrico, of Pepsico, promised and delivered $10,000 if participation reached 60%. The Mighty Ducks donated the proceeds from a silent auction of equipment, and several players visited Gjos in the hospital; they knew of his injury because Eric Eisner, son of Disney CEO Michael Eisner, played for UCLA.

Siegel has been selling T-shirts on campus for $15 and speaking in front of classes to tell fellow students about Gjos. Siegel hopes every little bit will help. "I think Sean will walk again," Siegel said. "That's just the way he is. He has this amazing spirit."

Said Rynew: "Out of the people on the team, he's the only one who could handle this as well as he's handled it." Next Page

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