Sam Howell paralyzed after broken neck
A Healdsburg native, Sam Howell, is on a long road to wellness after a fall from his bicycle resulted in a broken neck and immediate paralysis from the neck down.
“Sam was training on April 15 in Malibu for the AIDSLifeCycle Ride. He was raising funds and awareness for HIV education and treatment,” wrote his sister, Kate Howell, in a series of emails to the Tribune.
Howell attended Foss Creek and Fitch Mountain Elementary schools and Healdsburg Junior High, and graduated from Healdsburg High School in 2007, where he was a member of the swim team.
He then attended Santa Rosa Junior College before transferring to California College of the Arts and completing a degree in fashion design. Before his accident, he was employed in Los Angeles as a graphic designer.
Howell rode the same fundraising ride last year, pedaling 545 miles. His partner, Troy Covello, has also ridden the AIDSLifeCycle Ride.
According to his sister, Howell has had a series of medical challenges since his accident. “He was airlifted to UCLA for cervical spinal surgery that took six hours and his spine was fused from C2-C6. He was on a ventilator and feeding tubes and kept hypothermic with elevated blood pressure for a week for best recovery of his spinal cord,” wrote Kate, who continued: “He was transferred from UCLA to a small community hospital, Garfield Medical Center (GMC) for insurance reasons for his continued ICU care. GMC almost killed him and we had to fight for a week to get him transferred out. He was transferred to USC Keck for his continued ICU care and then has been stuck in the acute in-patient due to more insurance hold ups.”
At press time, his sister reported that Howell was about to be relocated to Rancho Los Amigos for up to six months of extensive rehabilitation. He will need years of rehab and have to live in housing that is wheelchair accessible. “It’s all a big gamble with many unknowns,” Kate wrote.
To learn more about Howell and donate to his medical expenses, visit https://www.gofundme.com/3dbb8-help-sam-heal.
Kate Howell said she is hoping to organize a local fundraiser for her brother in the area. Details are forthcoming.
