The same person who is making the Babington fly bonnets has added saddle pads and T-shirts for those who would like to show their support, with all the proceeds going to benefit Kevin. She is going to be very busy!
Not to be a Debbie Downer because Iām sure everyoneās heart is in the right placeā¦ but these products with the āproceedsāĀ going to Kevinā¦ how is āproceedsāĀ defined and what assurance do we have that the money will actually be donated. I donated to the FB fundraiser and then noticed that FB skims some off the top. Now I see all these products being sold and I canāt help but wonder if there isnāt money going to the sellers that might otherwise just go directly to Kevin, as I said, I am sure the intentions are good but I just did the math on how much money we collectively made for FB from Kevinās injury and it saddened me that he wasnāt getting those funds too
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Here is the barn address for anyone who would prefer to just send a check directly to him:
Kevin Babington
52 Hill Rd.
Allentown, NJ 08501
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As someone who had a broken neck while jumping, wiggling toes is SENSATIONAL. It does not mean he will ever ride again, but it is the first big benchmark toward recovery. The brain signals are reaching all the way down the body. Worst case: he will still have complete deficits of some part of his body, but at this time, it is the first test and he has passed!!!
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Good points. Iāve seen a lot of products being made to support Kevin, with anywhere from 20% to 100% of the proceeds being donated. The 20% level doesnāt sound like much at all. Makes it seem like people are trying to use this situation to raise some money for Kevin, but also a lot for themselves as well.
I feel much more inclined to purchase things where at least 50% of the proceeds are being donated.
The latest update does not make it sound like wiggling his toes is in the cards - https://www.gofundme.com/f/for-kevin-babington-and-family?pc=fb_dn_postdonate_r&rcid=r01-156747107637-03fe12d469054950&utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=fb_dn_postdonate_r&fbclid=IwAR1dGPyKyfKiF9o6SA0zNHEHGq8-DEiuHMF9Uk8fgxdjjZJS5plhsm-l7Qw . Keeping them in my thoughts. What a tough injury.
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I never saw this posted by anyone who has been doing the updates on the GFM or on Facebook - I just saw it on forum posts - so while I hope it is true, I worry that it is not. Iāve been following Diannaās posts on Facebook and havenāt seen updates indicating he can move anything 
I hope she and their daughters have a good support system around them as well. I canāt imagine what theyāre going through now too.
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Unfathomable.
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Itās good to see in this instance the equestrian community is stepping up to the plate. Hoping he continues to fight like hell and comes out of this ok.
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And in the Sunday version of news that will restore your faith in human nature a bit, the riders at the $500,000 Grand Prix at Saugerties today agreed to donate 10% of their earnings in the class to Kevin Babington. Bless their hearts, all of them.
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=10156623691288870&id=100304553869
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I hope, so very much, that he will continue to be able to breathe unassisted.
It is wonderful that people are contributing to his cause. I hope that some of the truly wealthy members of the equestrian community will step up with some substantial funds, as TB racing people have quietly done for injured jockeys, in addition to the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund.
Some sort of trust or foundation perhaps?
When Christopher Reeves was injured, Robin Williams stepped up, saying in essence, If you ever need money, call on me.
Knowing that Reeves was fairly wealthy, Williams also knew the incredible costs that would be associated with his care. I loved him for that.
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Yes. Aflac - sorry, typo.
Aflac premiums as I understand them, donāt increase.
I am self-employed so I pay for all my insurance costs.
I have a Cancer policy from 2001 that is the same cost now as it was then, 18 yrs ago
I bought the Critical Illness as well as the Accident Policy 2 years ago.
My nephew was in a car accident and is a quadriplegic. The cost associated with spinal cord injuries are astronomical! Some things are covered while others were not. For instance, my nephew needs an electric chair. 100% was covered. However, he needed a shower chair and insurance refused because they said he already had a chair. They did not seem to understand that an electric chair did not need to get wet. His physical therapy eventually ran out once they said progress stagnated. My point is, this poor family has a very tough road a head. I hope and pray he has a better outcome than my nephew.
The 67,000 the GFM is up to, is going to run out quick.
Reading about the incredible outpouring of financial support to the Babbington family has made me think about the many patients and families living with paralysis who may not have access to such a big, wealthy, generous social network. I want to give some money as well to a group that helps families dealing with paralysis that have fewer resources. If thereās anyone in the group with more experience in this community who could recommend a worthy charity, I would welcome the suggestions. (@spotnnotfarm, perhaps your family would know firsthand who has been helpful?)
In the meantime, I see that the Reeves Foundation supports research and provides grants to smaller nonprofits providing direct patient support. https://give.reeve.org/give/64942/&_ā¦t?c_src=FOOTER
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I know that some specialty care hospitals have avenues available for supportive donations. There is a very well known facility near me in Atlanta (Shepherd Center) which has such programs; I am sure there are others. Here is the link: https://www.shepherd.org/giving/ways-to-give
First off, THANK YOU! The financial strain is unbelievable! Contact the Shepherd Center in Atlanta, https://www.shepherd.org/. There are so many families there with brain trauma, and spinal cord injuries. There are all ages of people from all walks of life. It is my hope that Michael gets moved there once he is stable. They are the best spinal cord specialists in the country.
The scary part of a spinal cord injury is that every single one is different. You can have the same injury as another person ( I read where he is injured in the same area as Christopher Reeves) but the way your body reacts is totally different. Even the doctors cannot predict how the patient will heal. We have a very type A family member who was getting frustrated with us as well as the dr. What she did not understand is that if you have seen 1000 spinal cord injuries, you have seen 1000 different injuries. The drās told us they have seen people they did not think would ever walk, sprint out of the hospital and people they were sure would walk, that never did.
Spinal cord injuries are such a life changing, scary and frustrating injury. My heart breaks for anyone who has to go through what we did and are still continuing to go through.
One more thought, right now, everyone is thinking about him. The support is amazing. This happened to us as well. For about two years, we had financial, emotional and physical support. But as time goes on people forget. This is very hard on the patient as they loose touch with friends, some family and colleagues. The person with the injury, has to watch as everyone moves on. It is mentally and emotionally upsetting. So, if anyone knows him personally, please remember this, stay in touch, and most importantly, treat him as person not an injury.
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I assume that he will be at Kessler Rehab in New Jersey. They are renowned. That is where Christopher Reeve was, and is part of the Reeve Foundation network.
https://www.kessler-rehab.com/programs/spinal-cord-injury-rehab/Default.aspx
I assume he will be at Kessler Rehabilitation in New Jersey. They are renowned. Thatās where Christopher Reeve was and it is now affiliated with the Reeve Foundation.
https://www.kessler-rehab.com/programs/spinal-cord-injury-rehab/Default.aspx
I agree $67,000 will not last long, but there is also a Facebook collection which had raised about $450,000 as of last week, I have not checked the total recently. That should help with the familyās immediate expenses.
The Facebook fund raiser is up to $666,880 as of this morning.
I believe the riders at Spruce Meadows were also donating 10% of their winnings in one class on Saturday if memory serves from what I caught on TV.
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