Fund Established to Help Paralyzed Westfield Cyclist

Friends and family of Dennis McGorty have established a website, McGortyFamilyFund.org, to help defray medical expenses and support the athlete's wife, Anita, and two young children following an accident that has left him paralyzed below the waist.

An avid cyclist, McGorty, was traveling east on South Avenue West shortly after 2 p.m. on Monday, May 20, when he was struck by a landscaping truck and dragged beneath its trailer. 

After more than a week at University Hospital, McGorty, who suffered severe injuries to his spine, was transferred to Kessler Institute of Rehabilitation, where he spent his 43rd birthday yesterday.

A lifelong Westfield resident, McGorty is raising his own family—a son Declan, 5, and a daughter, Lorelei, 3,—in town. The McGorty Family Fund has been created to provide an avenue of assistance by friends and family, with support from Holy Trinity Roman Catholic Church in Westfield, according to the site. One hundred percent of the donations collected will be disbursed to the McGorty Family.

"We expect the funds to be used for medical expenses, or other appropriate expenditures at the family's discretion," it states.

Donations can also be made by mailing a check payable to "Holy Trinity Church," with "McGorty Family Fund" in the "notes" section to:

McGorty Family Fund

P.O. Box 892

Chatham, N.J. 07928.

The site notes that this option is best for those who are eligible for company matching donations or for tax deductible purposes.

Donations can also be made directly through the website via WePay. Though this option is currently not tax deductible, payments will be sent directly to the McGorty family for medical expenses. Nearly $12,000 has been raised to date. The website will be updated weekly to let donors know much money has been collected. 

In addition to raising funds, the site is also encouraging those who want to help to sign up to deliver meals to the McGorty family or plans visits with Dennis. A link, Mealtrain.com, allows volunteers to choose an evening to bring a the family a dinner, which can be left in a cooler behind their home. A message board is also available for supporters to offer other services such as babysitting or landscaping to the family.

For more information, visit http://www.mcgortyfamilyfund.org/ or https://www.facebook.com/TeamMcGorty?fref=ts 

For questions about the McGortys, please contact Kathy Henning. For questions about the fund, please contact Deacon Tom. For questions about the site and WePay fund, please contact Kristen Moss.