Family rallies around son after spinal cord injury | Wish List
The Enquirer and United Way of Greater Cincinnati have joined forces for the 37th year to help families in need with the Wish List program. After wishes are granted, remaining funds assist people with similar needs throughout the year. This is the seventh of eight stories.
Valerie Whittle was parking the car when it happened. As she made her way into the Cincinnati Country Day football stadium, she saw people on the field gathered around an injured player.
“Whose kid got hurt?” she asked.
Her kid.
On Sept. 3, 2021, Dohn Community High senior Simeon “Tino” Whittle made a tackle. The impact broke a bone in his neck and split his spinal cord.
“The big question is, will he ever walk again?” Valerie said, sitting next to Simeon, who is propped up in bed in their West Price Hill home. “Whatever God has in store, we’re ready for it.”
Simeon, now 20, has made strides since he awoke more than two years ago in Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, his body connected to tubes and machines.
“I couldn’t talk,” he said. “I couldn’t eat. I couldn’t drink. I couldn’t move my arms. I couldn’t move my head.”
He can do all that now.
“I look at it like his body is healing,” his mother says. “God is working.”
Still, it has been a difficult journey for the family. Valerie, whose husband died in 2015, has a 17-year-old daughter, Sydnee, and a 16-year-old son, Sullivan. Another daughter, Simone, 27, lives outside the home.
“We’re in a situation where everybody has to be a caregiver of Simeon in some way,” Valerie said. A hairdresser, she quit her full-time job and dropped plans to open her own business to care for her son.
She said she is grateful for the community’s support. A fundraiser brought in cash. People Working Cooperatively renovated the house and made it accessible. The family participates in a mobile meal program operated by Isaiah 55, the United Way partner that nominated them for the Wish List. Valerie also hopes one day to obtain a wheelchair-accessible van.
Through it all, Simeon has maintained a positive attitude. Football is still part of his life; he enjoys watching his favorite team, the Green Bay Packers. He still has a sense of humor.
“He’s funny,” Sydnee said. “He’s cool, laid back.”
If Simeon has a gripe, it’s that the kitchen refrigerator is not close to his room. A mini fridge near his bed would solve that. Also, smart appliances and devices would allow Simeon to easily adjust the temperature in his room and turn lights and the TV on and off. The family’s other wishes include replacements for their stove and refrigerator, which are not working well; a bed for Sydnee; and a laptop computer for Sullivan.
The Whittles' wish: A refrigerator, mini fridge, stove, laptop, bed and smart appliances and devices.
Estimated cost: $4,500.
How to help
Donations can be made online at www.uwgc.org/wishlist. You can also mail donations to: United Way of Greater Cincinnati, Attn: Wish List Pledge Processing, P.O. Box 632840, Cincinnati, OH 45263-2840. Please include “Wish List” in the memo line on checks.
John Johnston is the content writer at United Way and a former Enquirer reporter.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Family rallies around son after spinal cord injury
