Meet Our
​2021 Recipient
Cory Sharpe

Thanks to your generosity in 2021, Cory is back out on the trails in his new RZR Pro R,
custom fitted with hand controls!

In our first year as a fundraising event, we can't think of a more appropriate recipient that would honor the life of Blake & Jake than Cory Sharpe.  Blake & Cory became friends during high school while Cory was tutoring him in math.  Even though Blake mostly wanted to talk about their mutual love of 4WD trucks, Cory kept them on task and their truck discussions commenced after math was done.  The boys continued to talk about trucks and remained friends over the years.  Jake & Cory also knew each other through dessert trips and had camped and ridden together with their families.  Upon hearing of Cory’s accident at Dirt Diggers which left him with multiple broken vertebrae and two collapsed lungs, Blake was upset and very concerned for his friend.  Though he didn’t know if he would receive a response, Blake reached out to Cory with a message of encouragement.  Unfortunately, Cory didn’t have the opportunity to respond to Blake’s message before the shooting that took both Blake & Jake just one week later.  Though Cory was fighting for his own life, his accident would be overshadowed by the horrific Borderline shooting and then the fires. It’s our hope that in their honor, we can give Cory all the support and encouragement that the boys would undoubtedly have given him if they were here.

After multiple surgeries and painful rehab, Cory currently remains paralyzed from the waist down.  Cory has persevered and at the age of 25 and merely three years after his accident, Cory is now a Certified Public Account, who will next month earn his USC Master’s Degree in Business Taxation while rehabbing and simultaneously completing his second full year of work. Even after all these challenges, he remains the same vibrant, humble and energetic young man of character he has always been.

Much like Blake & Jake, adventures in the desert have been a huge part of Cory’s life. Everything from exploring new trails to burning 40 foot towers of pallets and Christmas trees on New Year’s Eve.  To date, Cory has not been back to the desert since his accident.  It would mean the world to him and his family to be able to have the ability to explore more trails and make more memories with family and friends.  He is hoping to soon be able to own a Robby Gordon 4-seater side by side with hand controls. In addition, Cory also has many physical challenges and there are a variety of ways financial support would be of benefit to him as he adapts to his new life.  Cory’s mom, Sue tells me, “If anyone were to watch his routine each day, as bad as you think your life might be, you just have no idea how heartbreaking it is watch him struggle to do all those small tasks we do with ease. I treasure the time I have with him, even if it’s a quick drive up to the gas station to pump his gas into his car or truck. Life is truly precious.”
 
We hope you will read the following account of Cory’s accident written by his family so that you may appreciate all that he’s been through and the amazing way he has accomplished so much despite his accident.

Sunday, October 28, 2018, started off like any other day for 22-year-old Thousand Oaks resident, Cory Sharpe.  In his dream truck, a 2004 Diesel Ford F350 4x4, along with his Honda 450 dirt bike and gear, he headed off to Spangler Hills to join friends and fellow race competitors. Cory had been riding dirt bikes and enjoying the desert life since the age of 5.  He left that morning confident he would race strong and return home safely to focus on his final month of college.  Upon completing his BA in accounting at USC, he had his sight fixed upon beginning his career as a CPA and starting an already secured position at the accounting firm, Armanino, LLP., in January 2019.

Unfortunately, Cory’s plans would take a difficult turn that day and he would need to rely on that same work ethic, amazing perseverance and humor to get through the many challenging months ahead:

On October 28, 2018, Cory Sharpe was racing a District 37, National Hare & Hound's race, hosted by 100's MC in Spangler Hills and suffered a near fatal accident on the bomb run. He was going at a decent rate of speed, and we have been told by others, was clipped from behind by another rider who did not stop.  Once the dust settled and another rider stopped to assist him, Cory explained he could not feel his legs and was having extreme difficulty breathing. After officials stopped the race, Medics immediately intubated his lungs and the onsite helo medivac’d him to Antelope Valley Hospital, where we learned thoracic spinal vertebrae's 3, 4, 5 & 6 were fractured. In addition, both lungs were collapsed, and an unknown number of ribs were broken. The hospital staff worked feverishly to stabilize him as he remained in ICU for the first 8 days.

On November 2, 2018, he underwent an extensive 6-hour surgery to stabilize his thoracic spine by attaching two supportive rods; to enable him to sustain himself in an upright position. A week later, just as we were hopeful for his transfer to rehab near home his O2 levels dropped, and he began to experience fever. A CT revealed his left lung was completely encased with a large pneumothorax.

On November 14, 2018, he underwent surgery to remove the pneumothorax. The surgeon attempted for an hour and half, to suction it out through his chest tube, but it was just too large. His underarm area was opened up about 16” between his rib cage, extending surgery to 6 hours, in order to scrape the pneumothorax, flush, and close him up.  A few days before his transfer to Thousand Oaks, that surgical site became infected.  All the staples and sutures had to be removed, with the wound left exposed for what would be 12 weeks.

On November 26, 2018, Cory was finally allowed to return to his hometown of Thousand Oaks to begin intensive physical therapy which would prove to be his most difficult hurdle so far.  Cory’s open wound was placed on a 24/7 wound vac, requiring painful attention many times per day. Cory pressed himself through extreme discomfort as he began the painful fight to regain his ability to walk.  On January 20, 2019, his wound was sufficiently healed and on the 85th days since Cory’s accident, he was finally discharged to his grandparent’s 1 story home for continuing aftercare and rehab.

Throughout the time following Cory’s unfortunate accident, he has maintained an amazingly upbeat spirit and though he is fighting an incredible battle, his character and work ethic have not changed.

December 2018	Cory completed course requirements while in a hospital bed, earning his USC BA Accounting degree.
January 2019	Cory starts almost daily rehab at C.O.R.E. in Northridge.
March 2019	Earlier it was discovered that Cory’s initial back surgery was poorly done. In March 2019, spinal experts at USC Keck Medical Center stripped out the original hardware and reinstalled a single rod of correct length, as well installing the spinal screws properly.
April 2019	Zoey, the Aussie Shepard becomes part of Cory’s life.
May 2019	Cory begins preparing for the California CPA exams. By December 2019, Cory has passed all five sections with high honors.
October 2019	Cory passed his driver qualification exam and drives a Kia Optima with hand controls. For those wondering: He can dismount his chair, get behind the wheel, disassemble the chair, and be on the road in 2 minutes flat!!!
November 2019	Cory flies out of Burbank to San Leandro unattended, for his company’s three-day orientation. The following Monday, Cory reports to the Woodland Hills office for his first day on the job.
January 2020	Cory enrolls in USC grad program while working 50 -75 hours during a tax season that never ends what with the pandemic! He completes 2 classes each semester and 4 in the summer session and will finish in early December 2021.
June 2020	Cory’s buddy Phil introduces him to skeet shooting. Cory also gets hand controls for his F350! He and work buddies are out and about the town celebrating various tax season deadlines!!
January 2021	Cory continues his almost daily work outs at the gym and at C.O.R.E. He works endless hours on the job, often pulling overnighters. The boy seems to have no limit of energy!

We share all the good news about Cory at the expense of minimizing how hard he worked and how much he suffered during the past three years. We learned a lot about Cory. Staff at both facilities reminded us how polite and appreciative he was of their efforts to heal him. Cory’s kindness, courage, determination, and work ethic have served him well.