A rugby player from the University of California, Berkley was partially paralyzed a few minutes into a national championship match Saturday and will need extensive physical therapy.
Sophomore Robert Paylor sustained a spinal injury after colliding with an opposing player and is now paralyzed from the chest down with limited motion in his arms after having surgery for the injury, The Associated Press reported. He was taken off the field in a stretcher after the collision.
The exact nature of the injury and how it occurred were not known.
Paylor’s family set up a GoFundMe page after they discovered medical expenses for his first year of therapy could be about $1 million. The fund had raised more than $286,000 as of Wednesday afternoon.
“We know his faith and determination will get him as far as he can go in regaining mobility,” his family said, the AP reported. “We are overwhelmed with the love and support we’ve received from people all over the country.”
“He believes he will beat this thing. He is so positive and that’s what he’s going to need for this,” friend and parent of a teammate, Jennifer Douglas, said of Paylor, The Mercury News reported. A prayer service will be held for Paylor on the UC Berkeley campus on Thursday evening.
The Twitter community offered its support to the paralyzed player.
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