POMPANO BEACH, FLA. (WSVN) - A concerned community has lent a helping hand to the family of a Pompano Beach high school student after he was paralyzed during a football game injury.
Blanche Ely High School junior Wilben Morrisaint sustained serious injuries during a school football game. As a result, he can’t move his arms or legs.
But the teen has handled his situation with grace, and his community responded by helping him and his family.
The Blanche Ely football team is scheduled to play Chaminade-Madonna in Hollywood on Friday without one of their players.
“You never want to see a kid get injured like that, and it’s on my heart and mind every day,” said their coach, Clifford Wimberley Jr.
Friends of Morrisaint are also sad to know that their teammate is hurting from this.
“It’s very difficult, because he was a very, very good kid,” said his friend, Gregorie Jules. “He was very competitive, very eager to play.”
Morrisaint broke his neck on Aug. 24 during the season opener. He was paralyzed immediately.
“it’s very sad to see one of our players get hurt, knowing that he might not be able to walk again,” said his friend Schneider Etienne, “and that we were on the same field. It could have been one of us.”
7News spoke with Morrisaint and the doctors who operated on him on Friday.
“Medically speaking, he’s going to require weeks and months of very difficult rehabilitation,” said Neurosurgeon at Broward Health North Dr. Richard Foltz. “Not only is it hard for him; it costs a lot of money.”
Morrisaint will get intense rehab at a specialty hospital in Georgia, but getting him there will cost him thousands of dollars.
A day after 7News aired the story with the GoFundMe page, generous viewers showed that they wanted to help.
The teen’s father, Serge Morrisaint, was very humbled by this.
“Just want to say thank you for everyone who been helping,” he said.
Students and staff at Blanche Ely High School also raised money for Morrisaint’s rehabilitation treatments.
“The students raised over $800 for Wilben today,” said principal of Blanche Ely High School Dr. Karlton Johnson. “They said, ‘Dr. Johnson, we want to move a container around and start raising money for him, because we want him to have a speedy recovery.'”
Classmates also made shirts to raise money for Morrisaint.
Doctors performed at four-hour surgery on Morrisaint, but now the real work for him begins.
“I’m just really proud with the way everyone responded so quickly,” said Blanche Ely High School alumni Shelton Pooler.
Over $10,000 have been raised as of Friday evening. It’s enough to cover Morrisaint’s medical flight to go to the Georgia facility. However, the family will need more to continue his rehab.
If you’d like to donate, click here.
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