NEW BRAUNFELS, Texas – A teenager who was paralyzed after he dove into the Comal River is spreading awareness about water safety this summer.
Logan Longoria, 17, dove into the Comal River and hit his head on a rock. He lived, but he's now a quadriplegic.
Longoria and his family want the public to know about the realities of his new life. They want people hear to their strong safety message about playing in the river this summer.
Music used to be Logan Longoria's life. He was a junior at Canyon High School in New Braunfels before the accident. He was the tuba section leader in the high school band.
On July 29, 2014, Longoria's life changed.
"I grew up on that river. I moved here when I was in fourth grade, and since day one, we've been playing in that river," he said.
At the time, the Comal River had just flooded, and Logan said things on the river floor were moved around.
"I was just above the tube shoot. I took a dive in the wrong area and I hit a rock," Logan said. "I remember diving in, seeing a white flash and I couldn't move."
Longoria had broken his neck and woke up in the hospital a quadriplegic. He was told he'd never move, breathe or eat on his own again.
Longoria said he's beating the odds stacked against him.
"I'm getting a lot better. I'm not where I want to be, but I'm a heck of a lot better than what I was. I'm starting to get sensation throughout my entire body, leg movement, arm movement, hand movement. Slowly but surely," he said.
Longoria can still use his laptop and his cell phone with the help of a mouthpiece attached to a rod. He said he's getting good at playing video games that way. His goal is to keep improving, while speaking up about the hardships of spinal cord injuries.
Longoria still can't do anything for himself. His parents are his main caretakers. They said nurses and therapy are expensive.
"Trying to cook for him, turn him, get him dressed, get him in his chair, trying to bathe him, take him to the emergency room if something happens, and trying to hold a job, it's hard," said Carmen Longoria, Logan's mom.
The equipment Logan Longoria needs on a daily basis is almost unaffordable for the family. The chair he uses to get anywhere costs $53,000.
Carmen Longoria is a strong advocate for creating more grants and programs for patients like her son.
"Spinal cord injuries are one of those things there's not that much funding out there for, for people and for their families. When you leave the hospital, there is not a lot of direction of where to go get help for the daily things," she explained.
Carmen said Logan's amazing attitude is what keeps her going every day.
"His whole outlook on life. He really keeps us grounded," she said. "A lot of times, I don't really know how he can deal with it. He has a heart of gold."
As another summer approaches, Logan and his parents want to use their voices to do good. They're spreading awareness about water safety. They hope any words of wisdom and reality will prevent others from making the same mistake Logan made two years ago.
"Think twice," Logan said. "Sure, you only live once, but you have to think of that quality of life you're going to have if you break your neck and you do acquire a spinal cord injury."
The Longoria family is helping organize a 5,400-kilometer walk around the country to raise money for families living with spinal cord injury costs and care. The Walk for SCI Recovery starts in Carlsbad, California, in April 2017 and will go through Phoenix, Amarillo and Dallas and eventually to New York. The Longoria family hopes anyone interested will get involved.
They said anyone who wants to follow Logan's story can find the Facebook group "Prayers for Logan."