On September 4, 2009, Frank Long, a father, husband, friend, and inspiration to many, compressed his c3, c4, and c5 vertebras, in a skiing accident that left him without feeling through much of his body. As anyone who knows Frank can attest, he is battling and determined to get back on his feet, but it won't be easy. He has a long road to recovery ahead of him, and he will need your help. In a terrible stroke of bad luck, the accident occurred on the last run of the last day of a two-week ski trip to Chile. Frank, on assignment from Forbes Life magazine, was skiing at Valle Nevado with a group of journalists. A few inches of powder covered some day-old icy crust, and visibility was next to nothing. He descended a slope the way he had most of his life, smooth and in control, loving every second, but he did not see a cat road cut into the mountain. He went over the 4-5 ft drop off and hit the cement-like road, his upper body and face taking most of the impact. After ski patrol responded, Frank was airlifted to a hospital in Santiago, where he underwent emergency surgery. A difficult week followed at the Chilean hospital before he was placed on a med-evac flight to Miami, where he is currently fighting to take back control of his life.
Here you will find updated information on his health, as well as the opportunity to help Frank and his family defray some of the monstrous medical bills, or volunteer with other fundraising efforts.
Thank you for your support. We're all looking forward to seeing Frank back on his feet!
This is video shot the day before Frank's accident.
