Photography
Paralyzed Santa Clarita Teen Strives to Walk Again
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Uploaded 12/08/2015 Seventeen-year-old Justin Covarrubias is a senior at Canyon High School in the Santa Clarita Valley. He spends his weekend with friends, was crowned Homecoming King and recently became a licensed driver. For years, he has loved the sport of motocross and was sponsored by name brands. Last year, he competed in a national race. Justin got into a devastating crash on Sept. 28, 2014 that paralyzed him from the waist down. He spent five weeks in the ICU and three months at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, where a team of doctors and nurses worked daily to rehabilitate him. Now, Justin is trying to be as independent as possible while continuing to adjust to his limited mobility. On Aug. 37, 2015, Justin was given the opportunity to test out, and ultimately train with, a ReWalk Exoskeleton at Dignity Health-Northridge Hospital. The exoskeleton give paraplegics, like Justin, the chance to walk again. But the exoskeleton is $77,000 and after all of Justin’s medical treatments over this past year, insurance won’t cover much, if any, of the gear. Justin’s mom lost her job because she missed too many days while Justin was in the hospital and Justin’s dad works full time. In response, the Santa Clarita Valley community, friends and family have come together to host several fundraisers to help Justin walk again. Over the past few months, there have been holiday boutique fundraisers, a game night fundraiser at Justin’s home and the Justin Covarrubias Ride Day fundraiser at AV Motoplex in Palmdale. While the fundraisers have benefited Justin’s cause greatly, the family hasn’t reached their goal yet. Justin’s mom, Jamie, hopes to see him walk across the stage at graduation in spring 2016, which will only be possible if Justin and his family can raise enough funds for the exoskeleton. |
 Justin Covarrubias is a 17-year-old Canyon High School senior in the Santa Clarita Valley.  Justin, like most of his peers, is taking classes such as English, Government and electives such as Computer Science.  Justin’s favorite class is Computer Science, where he programs video games.  Justin raced motorcross all over the country, until he was paralyzed from the waist down in a crash during a race on Sept. 28, 2014.  Justin continues to work toward independence. He recently became a licensed driver and is able to drive with hand controls.  No one really knows what caused Justin’s crash or what happened during the crash, but what resulted was the breaking of the T-5 and T-6 vertebrae in his back and he had no feeling below his waist.  Justin’s family watches as Justin is honored by his doctor Kevan Craig, MD, Division Head of Rehabilitation Services at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. After the initial crash, Justin was taken to CHLA where he was treated and rehabilitated by a team of doctors and nurses.  Photo courtesy of Jamie Covarrubias. Justin in his hospital bed at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles.  Justin’s friends have taken on new roles to help support him. Some of his friends offer to drive him places and meet him at school early to help him out of his car. While he was in the hospital, many of his friends came to visit him.  Justin poses with his team of doctors and nurses. Justin spent five weeks in the ICU and three months at CHLA. He missed an entire semester of his junior year of high school, which he made up the next semester.  Photo courtesy of Jamie Covarrubias. Justin uses the ReWalk Exoskeleton to stand and walk for the first time in nearly a year. Justin was one of the first few to begin training on the exoskeleton at Dignity Health-Northridge Hospital. The Covarrubias family hopes to get Justin one of his own exoskeletons, but medical insurance doesn’t cover much, if any, of the $77,000 tool.  Justin beams when he returns from riding in the Dodge Viper at z fundraiser.  After greeting with the fundraiser attendees, Justin went inside his home to watch motocross on TV with his friends and brother.  Justin talks to his friends while attendees bid on racing jerseys and other silent auction items at the Justin Covarrubias Ride Day at the AV Motoplex in Palmdale.  Justin’s mom, Jamie, wheels Justin out of their toy hauler trailer after he changed into his motorcycle pants. Justin’s brother, Jacob, looks on.  Justin looks at his bike while his dad and a family friend make sure everything is working properly. Justin’s usual number is 110, the bike has the number 10 from a previous race where his number had already been taken. The bike still has all of the stickers of businesses that used to sponsor Justin.  Justin’s dad helps put on Justin’s boots. The motorcycle boots are put on at the last minute. Because Justin doesn’t have feeling in his feet, he can’t tell if the boots are cutting off circulation, so the boots can only be worn for a short time.  Justin’s parents and close family friend shelp put him on the bike for the first time since the crash.  Justin, his family and their community continue to host fundraisers to help Justin get the exoskeleton that would help him walk again. Justin’s mom dreams that she’ll be able to see her son walk across the stage at his high school graduation in June 2016. |
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Great justin . Still praying for you ,home coming king wow!!!!!
Remain strong, stay focused and know that you are loved.
You Rock Justin
This is great!!
THIS IS SO AWESOME!!!!!!! You rock Justin Covarrubias!!!
So happy to see the huge improvements he has made. I have followed his story for since the beginning. And still I pray for Justin #10 God bless you Covarrubias family