What Happened?
On July 8th, 2004, Taylor sustained a neck injury to his C5 (Cervical 5) vertebra after he dove into the ocean in Westhampton Beach, NY. To the best of his knowledge, Taylor struck a sandbar while diving under an oncoming wave, thus causing his injury. The lifeguards on duty saved Taylor, and packed him in sand until the medics arrived. Taylor was medevaced by helicopter to Stonybrook University Hospital, where he underwent a 4 1/2 hour surgery, during which a titanium plate was positioned to support his C5 vertebra. After spending the next 14 days at Stonybrook, he was transferred to the Shepherd Center in Atlanta, a catastrophic care center where he spent the next 5 months in rigorous rehabilitation. The severity of this spinal cord injury has left Taylor a quadriplegic. Upon returning home to Ridgewood, NJ, Taylor and his family continued to explore further rehab efforts at the Kessler Institute of Rehabilitation in NJ, Magee Rehabilitation Center in Philadelphia, the Miami Project in Florida and the National Rehab Center in Washington, DC.

Where Is Taylor Now?
Currently Taylor is enrolled in the McDonough School of Business at Georgetown University, where he is involved in a rigorous and strenuous academic program. Taylor is expecting to declare that he will double major in both finance and management very soon. Overall, Taylor is a very “visible” and active member of the Georgetown community and is involved with many programs and projects not only within the gates of the university, but throughout Washington, DC. When Taylor’s accident occurred, he was only six weeks from beginning as a freshman at Georgetown, but he promised he would be there one year post injury. He not only kept his promise, but is far exceeding everyone’s expectations with his success.