Ankeny Teen Continues Recovery From Paralyzing Diving Accident, Expected Home This Month

ANKENY, IA — A teenager who was left partially paralyzed after a July 4 diving accident continues to improve with therapy at a Denver, Colo., rehabilitation center, and his family expects him to return to their Ankeny home within a few weeks. As they focus on that goal, friends have stepped in to help raise money for the mounting medical treatment and rehabilitation bills.

The cost of Justin Thorn's recovery will exceed $1 million, Thorn's father told WHO-TV. On Sunday, Boy Scout Troop 73 in Ankeny, of which he is a member, held a barbecue dinner and auction fundraiser for the Thorn family. Separately, a YouCaring website has been created with the goal of raising $30,000 for mounting medical bills.

Justin, now 17, was swimming in a friend's pool on July 4 when he dove into the shallow end and hit his head, WHO reported at the time. The accident broke his neck and left him paralyzed from the waist down. Following initial treatment and surgery at Mercy Hospital Medical Center in Des Moines, Justin moved to Craig Hospital in Englewood, Colo., for extensive rehab.

He has continued to improve and last week was discharged from inpatient care. On Monday he began outpatient therapy, an update on the family's online journal said. His mother, Lisa Thorn, said in the journal that the family is staying at an apartment on the hospital campus as part of a two-week transition program and that Justin should be released from the program and able to return to Ankeny around Oct. 20.

You can visit Justin's YouCaring page to make a donation toward his medical expenses.

Justin Thorn began outpatient therapy on Oct. 6./Photo courtesy of Lisa Thorn