Helping injured people is what the Pennsylvania injury lawyers at Purchase, George & Murphey, P.C. do every day and so, when we heard about Ian Malesiewski, a sophomore at Cathedral Prep in Erie who suffered a catastrophic spinal cord injury in a wrestling tournament on June 3, our first thought was, “What can we do to help?”
Ian Malesiewski is an unusually gifted student athlete. If you search on-line for “Ian Malesiewski Erie” you’ll read about his injury, but you’ll also find other articles about him. You’ll read of his many athletic accomplishments as a standout wrestler and football player, accomplishments achieved as much because of hard work and dedication as his natural gifts. You’ll find friends and community members who speak of his fierce loyalty and his generous nature. You’ll learn that Ian is enthusiastically supportive of others, frequently leading the cheers for his classmates in sports other than football and wrestling.
Ian is now recovering in Akron, OH from surgery to stabilize his fractured cervical vertabrae. His family hopes he will soon be weaned off breathing assistance and, sometime after that, can be moved to a hospital closer to home. The end of the long road ahead for Ian is uncertain, but the road itself is not. As injury lawyers who have represented people with traumatic spinal cord injuries, we know his needs are extensive and are likely to include intensive physical therapy, home modifications, nursing care and attendant care, transportation modifications and, always, medications and medical equipment.
We decided it was important to help and important enough to ask all of you to help, too. In fact, we decided to issue a challenge to you, our faithful readers. If you raise $3,000 by August 31, we’ll match you dollar for dollar for a total contribution of $6,000. If you raise $5,000 by August 31, we’ll match you two dollars for every dollar contributed for a total contribution of $15,000. As an added incentive, we’ll hold a drawing in September which includes the names of the first 50 donors who make contributions by August 31 and one lucky winner will be selected to have a dinner for two cooked by our own Eric Purchase (who, frankly, is happy to seize any opportunity to cook, eat and entertain but about whose cooking Purchase, George & Murphey, P.C., P.C. makes no representations or warranties).
You can help by making checks payable to “Ian H. Malesiewski Special Needs Trust” and sending them c/o Purchase, George & Murphey, P.C., P.C., 2525 W. 26th Street, Erie, PA 16506. Donations in any amount will be gratefully accepted. Please send your check today for $5, $25, $50 or whatever amount is right for you.