UPDATE ON OLYMPIC SILVER MEDALIST, SAM WILLOUGHBY AFTER FIVE WEEKS IN REHAB BY FIANCÉ ALISE POST

Encinitas, CA – On October 28th Road 2 Recovery received an update on Sam Willoughby since completing his fifth week in an intense rehab facility by his fiancé, Olympic silver medalist, Alise Post. He is undergoing treatment at a state of the art facility that specializes in spinal cord injury treatment and rehabilitation after a training accident on a local Chula Vista BMX track. He sustained fractures in his C6 and C7 vertebrae, which severely compressed his spinal cord and left him with no movement below his chest.
Alise writes in an email, “Today marks 5 weeks since arriving to Craig Hospital in Colorado for Sam’s intense, specific SCI rehabilitation. We hope everyone enjoyed Sam’s feature on 60 Minutes Australia and gained a bit more insight as to the challenges Sam faces on his road to recovery. We also hope that everyone can see his strong character shine through, and how important the support around him throughout this journey has been, and will continue to be. I know for myself, getting to go home for a quick two days and go to the race in CA really exposed me to the outside world again, and the words of encouragement and overall support for us was just incredible and almost overwhelming…so, THANK YOU!!
As for Sam, he continues to work hard and push the boundaries. He is doing really well with all of his functional skills and becoming more and more independent everyday. He is regaining a lot of upper body strength, better core balance, and a bit more sensation to touch throughout his lower body, which is really encouraging for those of us here watching him put the work in each and every day. He is actually moving along quick enough that he is challenging his therapists and the system so much so that they are allowing him to do extra above and beyond work as an inpatient. These extra “lower body recruitment” sessions are what he really looks forward to during the week, and it’s awesome to see the same excitement from the therapists that get to work with such a motivated patient. He even got to let a bit of frustration out on the boxing gloves during therapy, which was fun! (And I don’t think he minded getting the okay to have that boxing match with his fiancé 😉

We can’t predict the future, but Sam is doing incredible things and has the true heart of a champion, so we know he will do well. Of course there are times that this process feels like eternity, but he is keeping his chin up and we are all reminded to keep focused on the process of small gains day by day as we start looking towards the next steps of this journey.

We are saddened to hear of so many people in our network going through similar situations. This is not an injury we wish on anyone, and we just hope that everyone can keep all of these warriors in their thoughts and send as much positive energy their way as possible. It’s inspiring to witness first hand what people go through to do everyday things that healthy people take for granted daily… I know whose got my vote for the Cycling Australia ‘People’s Choice’ Award and the USA BMX Golden Crank ‘Pro of the Year’!!!” #StrengthFor91 -Alise
Road 2 Recovery has teamed up with the crew at Chula Vista BMX for a day festival and BMX race fundraiser for the whole family on Saturday, November 5, 2016. The SW91 Challenge Event 2 will be a full day of BMX fun starting at 11am PST with the main race starting at 4pm PST. You can expect Freestyle Demo’s, Pro Autograph signings, Pro racing, food trucks, silent auctions, raffle items, and carnival games. All proceeds will go to Sam Willoughby’s cause with R2R. Huge thanks to all the sponsors and partners who came together to make this event happen. And a special thank you to Tyler Brown and the crew at Chula Vista BMX for coordinating this event.
In conjunction with the SW91 Challenge Event, R2R will be launching an eBay auction benefiting Sam Willoughby’s cause. The auction will go live on Saturday, October 29, 2016 at 9pm PST and last for ten days. More details will be announced shortly. 
While the length of Sam’s stay in the rehab facility is currently unknown, it is for certain that he is progressing positively. All the love and support that is being shared from all over the world is inspiring. For more information on Sam Willoughby’s injury and how to donate to his cause, please go to www.strengthfor91.com.
About Road 2 Recovery: The Road 2 Recovery Foundation is a 501 (c) 3 non-profit organization that was founded in 2000, and is dedicated to helping AMA licensed Professional Motocross/Supercross riders and Action Sports Athletes with financial assistance if they sustain career-ending injuries as well as providing motivational, emotional, and spiritual support to these individuals and their families. To make a donation click here https://road2recovery.com/donate/. For more information on Road 2 Recovery and upcoming events visit www.road2recovery.com or contact Anita Button at 760-436-1366.