Senior Lee Mynhardt was moved from Carolina’s Medical Center in Charlotte, to a rehab center in Atlanta last week to further his recovery.

Mynhardt was attacked at a party off-campus in early February and left paralyzed from the chest down. Most of the substantial injuries occurred when Mynhardt was moved out of the house with an already broken back, which is how officers found him when they were dispatched to the house around 3 a.m. on Feb. 3.

According to Mynhardt’s friend and Elon alumnus Paul Donohoe, Mynhardt has “limited motion in his arms and hands and no motion in his fingers,” though doctors say this is likely to improve.

Mynhardt was a smoker, and after the accident his lungs would fill with mucus, but since his diaphragm was paralyzed, he was unable to cough and clear his lungs, which caused his lungs to collapse multiple times.

Donohoe was able to visit Mynhardt twice, and said that at the latest visit, Mynhardt was using a motorized wheel chair that enables him to lean forward and back, which keeps him from losing consciousness.

Despite his involvement in a terrible situation, Mynhardt has remained upbeat and very positive about his recovery.

Sophomore Katie Mannen has also visited Mynhardt and said “Lee’s true personality is shining through during his tough recovery and his family and friends have been wonderful support.”

Elon Police Captain Sam Russell visited Mynhardt on multiple occasions and is “amazed at his high spirits and how eager Lee is to return to Elon and finish his degree.”

Since the incident occurred off-campus, Elon Town Police officers are handling the criminal investigation.

Russell received a complete and detailed interview from Mynhardt on March 1 that conveyed all Mynhardt could remember about the night of the incident.

Criminal charges were brought against two students: Elon student John Cassidy and UNC-Greensboro student Clinton Blackburn. Russell is “not aware of any lawsuit filed,” but he is “strictly in charge of the criminal investigation” and said that a “lawsuit wouldn’t likely occur until after the conclusion of the criminal investigation.”

There were many fundraisers held to support Mynhardt and his family as they recover from this tragedy.

Professor of Communications Dr. David Copeland’s corporate communication senior seminar class chose “Project Botswana” as their final senior seminar project, named for Mynhardt’s home and nickname of Botswana.

Some of the students in the class were close friends of Mynhardt and wanted to raise money for his family.

For two weeks, the students have sold light blue rubber bracelets, similar to the “Livestrong” bracelets, with SCI on one side, which stands for Spinal Chord Injury, and Cheers on the other side, because that is Mynhardt’s favorite saying.

The bracelets, along with T-shirts reading “Project Botswana,” were sold in Moseley for several weeks.

On April 19, the bracelets were also sold at Cantina for $5, and Cantina donated 5 percent of the evening’s proceeds to the “Project Botswana” cause.

“The goal of Project Botswana is to raise $5,000-$7,000 for the Mynhardts, and we are well on the way,” senior JamiLynn Cimino said.

Reporter: Laura Wainman - 04/26/07