ANN ARBOR, Mich. – Those who know him describe Taylor Janssen as a young man who is an athlete, smart, focused and hard-working.
"He's a great student," said his father Mark Janssen. "He was the salutatorian of his class."
"He's a really genuine kid," said his fraternity brother Seth Johnson. "He never speaks badly about anyone."
The 19-year-old's life would forever change on the night of July 18. Taylor and several friends were playing volleyball on Lake Sherwood when the ball went into the water. Taylor dove in after it, but landed on rocks. He broke one of the vertebrae in his neck.
"We got over there to the island as quickly as we could," Janssen said. "I was just kind of in shock when it happened. I knew immediately how severe it was with EMT's checking him out. He had no movement from his chest down."
But Taylor was talking and that was a positive sign. Over the last 10 days he's made more strides and shown tremendous strength in his rehabilitation process. Today he was moved from the ICU.
"He shouldn't have control of his triceps, but in the last couple days he's gotten control of his triceps," Janssen said. "Yesterday, when physical therapy was in, they found some limited movement in his hands and wrist, so you never know."
Taylor also has limited movement in his hands. He's getting strength from his friends and fraternity brothers who started a GoFundMe page that's raised more than 100,000 dollars.
"We hope this is just the start of the campaign, and we can really broaden it out to raise awareness for his story and stories like it," Johnson said.
"You know, I wouldn't wish this on any parent," Janssen said. "It's been an ordeal and we take each day one day at a time. It puts things into perspective and you know, we have things put in perspective many times in our life for different reasons. It really makes you value the time you have with your family when they're healthy and when they're around."
Taylor lost his mother to a rare form of breast cancer last year. His father says she fought until the end, and they expect Taylor to do the same. His 20th birthday is on Aug. 5. If you would like to help Taylor and his family with medical expenses, visit their GoFundMe page.