Walking With Anthony

Recovery Can’t Wait

Life can change in an instant.

One phone call. One accident. One moment that divides life into before and after.

For the Purcell family, that moment came in 2010 when Anthony sustained a life changing spinal cord injury in a diving accident. Overnight, everything changed. Not just for him, but for everyone around him.

What followed was a reality most families never see until they are living it themselves.

The hospital helps you survive.

But recovery is often left up to the family.

Insurance may cover only a few short weeks of rehabilitation, but spinal cord injury recovery takes months, years, and often a lifetime of ongoing care. Therapy, adaptive equipment, transportation to treatment, mental health support, financial stability. These are not luxuries. They are necessities.

And yet, this is where so many families are left behind.

That is why Walking With Anthony exists.

Walking With Anthony bridges the gap between medical necessity and financial reality, helping spinal cord injury survivors access the restorative care and support insurance often refuses to cover.

Because recovery cannot wait.

Watch the story and see why this mission matters:

Mission Video
https://youtu.be/_3plPwig4SI

2025 Stand Up for a Cause Recap
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KkYRLQT2k80

2024 Stand Up for a Cause Recap
https://youtu.be/R3J_wpxMvzg

CBS Los Angeles Feature with Micki Purcell
https://www.cbsnews.com/losangeles/video/walking-with-anthony-helps-survivors-with-spinal-cord-injuries/

Additional Impact Story
https://youtu.be/1PuauO3eCqg

A Mother’s Mission Born From Crisis

No parent prepares for the moment they are told their child may never walk again.

No family prepares for the emotional, physical, and financial weight that follows.

When Anthony was injured, the Purcell family learned quickly that surviving a spinal cord injury and recovering from one are two very different things.

The system is built to stabilize trauma, but not always to support long term healing.

After the hospital, families are often sent home with more questions than answers and a future filled with uncertainty.

How will therapy be paid for?

How will treatment continue?

What happens when insurance runs out?

What happens next?

For so many families, that is where hope starts to slip away.

Micki Purcell refused to let that be the end of the story.

She turned heartbreak into purpose and founded Walking With Anthony so no family would have to face that journey alone.

What started as one mother fighting for her son became a mission to fight for thousands more.

For more than 16 years, Micki has been a relentless advocate for spinal cord injury survivors and their families, fighting for access to therapy, dignity, and real recovery.

Walking With Anthony exists because one mother refused to accept “this is just how it is.”

Meet Anthony: Survivor, Advocate, Executive Director

Anthony Purcell’s life changed in an instant.

In 2010, a diving accident left him with a life changing spinal cord injury and a future filled with uncertainty.

What followed was years of rehabilitation, setbacks, resilience, and the hard reality of navigating a system that often stops supporting survivors long before recovery is over.

But Anthony refused to let his injury define the rest of his story.

Through recovery, he found something even bigger than healing. Purpose.

Today, Anthony serves as Executive Director of Walking With Anthony, helping lead the very mission that grew from his own journey.

He works directly with survivors and families, offering mentorship, advocacy, and hope from a place few people can truly understand. Lived experience.

He knows firsthand what it means to fight for independence, dignity, and the chance to keep moving forward.

For many newly injured survivors, Anthony is proof that life does not end after spinal cord injury.

It changes.

And with the right support, it can still be full, meaningful, and powerful.

Walking With Anthony is not just his story.

It is his purpose.

And now, it is helping thousands of others reclaim theirs.

Why Walking With Anthony

Walking With Anthony was built from lived experience.

Micki and Anthony have lived every part of this journey. From the trauma of injury, to the fight for therapy, to the frustration of insurance limits, to the long road of recovery that follows.

They know firsthand what happens when families leave the hospital and realize the hardest part is just beginning.

They know what it feels like to hear that therapy is no longer covered, even when progress is still possible.

They know the emotional weight, the financial pressure, and the fear of wondering what happens next.

That understanding changes everything.

Families are met with urgency, empathy, and real support from people who truly understand what they are facing.

Walking With Anthony does not just fund recovery, it helps families navigate it.

For many survivors, it becomes the bridge between surviving and truly rebuilding a life.

Because when recovery cannot wait, neither do they.

What Walking With Anthony Funds

Walking With Anthony funds what insurance won’t.

Because healing does not end when coverage does.

Donor support helps provide:

• Specialized rehabilitation therapy that improves strength, mobility, and independence
• Adaptive equipment that restores confidence, dignity, and daily function
• Transportation assistance so survivors can get to critical treatment
• Mental health support for both survivors and families navigating trauma and transition
• Immediate financial relief during the most critical recovery window

Sometimes the difference between progress and paralysis is simply access.

Access to one more therapy session.
One more month of treatment.
One more chance to keep moving forward.

Why Timing Matters

The first 6–18 months after injury are often the most important for recovery.

This is when the body is most responsive.
When therapy matters most.
When hope can still become progress.

It is also when many families lose access to care.

Recovery does not happen in 20 days.

It takes consistency.
It takes resources.
It takes support.

That is where Walking With Anthony steps in.

The organization is often the first call families make when traditional support runs out.

It has become the 911 for spinal cord injury recovery.

The Right Therapy Changes Everything

As founder Micki Purcell often says:

“The right therapy at the right time can be the difference between a life of isolation and one of independence. Recovery can’t wait.”

This mission is not just about funding therapy.

It is about helping someone hug their child again.
Drive again.
Work again.
Walk again.

It is about dignity.
Independence.
Possibility.

It is about giving people their future back.

Your Donation Creates Real Impact

Every gift matters because every day matters.

Every donation helps survivors continue therapy, regain independence, and keep fighting for the life they deserve.

This mission is deeply personal because it was built from lived experience.

And the truth is, it could happen to any family, at any time.

No one plans for a spinal cord injury.

But when it happens, the right support can change everything.

Thank you for helping ensure recovery does not stop where insurance does.

Because recovery cannot wait.

And neither does Walking With Anthony.