(click on images to enlarge)
EDDY KING AUCTION
May 2015
For those that may not know, BMX Hall of Famer Eddy King was involved in a horrible mountain bike accident; he went over the bars of his mountain bike at Big Bear on Sunday, Oct 6, 2013, and was airlifted to the hospital. The accident resulted in a spinal cord injury that left him effectively paralyzed from the waist down. He was very fortunate to have been riding with a great crew and happened to be followed down the hill by an EMT who helped to stabilize him just after his accident, helping to prevent further possible damage . The following day, he underwent surgery on his spine and regained "some" feeling in his legs….
Skip forward to present day: over the last 19 months, Eddy has worked extremely hard, fully immersing himself into the difficult work required for his recovery. Working full-time with the help of several facilities and physical therapists, Eddy's online posts showing his progress have been both encouraging and reflective of Eddy's relentless hours of work and determination, as well as the commitment of all the medical workers, friends, family, and therapists who have helped him.
However, do not be fooled! Eddy's road is still very long and expensive; the bills continue to mount, and although by seeing the amazing progress in his videos it sure would appear that Eddy is all better. The fact is, that to date he still has yet to move his feet on their own. He still uses a special equipped car that he drives with his hands, and his day to day mobility is via a wheelchair. I only mention the prior things, not to take away from Eddy's amazing and inspiring achievements, but to bring some reality to those that have seen videos of Eddy riding a bike and are left believing Eddy is 100% recovered...this simply is not the case (YET!). Eddy is still working hard and still needs various physical therapy and has many medical related needs. And although I no doubt believe that he will one day walk again on his own, he still continues to need financial support in order to help him get to the recovery finish line.
So with much love, I am proud to announce that I am donating the original painting (shown above) that I painted of Eddy to be auctioned off...100% of all donations and funds raised by the art auction will go direct to Eddy and his recovery needs! This painting was inspired both by my good friend and brother Eddy King and the amazingly talented Windy Osborn (a creative hero of mine) who shot the famous photo that graced the cover of BMXA (June 1980). A typical private commission for a painting this size (20" x 20") takes anywhere between 80-100hrs and starts at around $2500. We hope to raise at least that amount from the painting auction or more (please remember this is a "charity" auction, we are trying to "raise" money)... our total goal is to raise $5000 for the Eddy King Foundation. This will take the entire village, but I believe that with your help and generosity, we can do it! I understand that not everyone will be able to afford this type of item at auction; but if you would still like to help out a "donation" button can be found on the auction page which will allow you to make a flat donation in any amount you can afford whether you wish to bid on the painting or not. Every dollar counts, is needed and appreciated! (Again, 100% of all donations go straight from the auction site to the Eddy King Foundation bank account.)
So please visit:
and donate what you can by clicking on the donation button, and/or bid on the painting to help reach our charity goal!
With all my heart, thank you all so very much!
Craig "Hoop" Hooper