Prayer Vigil Held For Baltimore Teen Injured In Freak Accident Off Cape May, NJ
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- Strength, support and prayers. People all across Maryland are pulling for a local high school student with a severe spinal cord injury.
WJZ's Mary Bubala with more on the freak accident.
Right now, 17-year-old Archer Senft remains paralyzed from the neck down after he dove into the ocean and hit a sand bar earlier this month.
As he recovers in New Jersey, his friends here in Baltimore have created a movement called "Archer Strong."
Athlete, scholar and artist, McDonogh High School student Archer Senft has everything to live for.
Right now, he's in a fight for his life, paralyzed from the neck down after a freak accident in the ocean off Cape May, New Jersey, on August 5.
Archer dove into a wave and hit a sandbar, breaking a vertebrae in his neck.
More than a hundred people gathered for a candlelight vigil at the Friends School in Baltimore to pray for him and his family Thursday night.
"I miss him. I'm at school with him. I'm used to seeing him all day during the school year, so it's going to be tough. And I know if anyone can do it, its him," said James Shiels, Archer's friend.
Other friends have made videos and sent messages of support to his hospital room in Atlantic City.
Even though he can't yet speak, Archer's family says he's seen them all and feels the message of "Archer Strong."
Archer is the second person to suffer a severe spinal cord injury off the coast of Cape May. Some are pointing to beach replenishment as a factor, which inadvertently creates sharp drop offs, resulting in waves breaking too close to the shoreline.
As the Army Corp of Engineers and the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection look into the issue, Archer Senft's support system in Baltimore prays for his recovery and his homecoming.
Archer successfully underwent surgery Thursday to repair a tear in his right lung, but he remains in the ICU at a hospital in Atlantic City.
If you would like to follow the family's updates or donate to his recovery fund CLICK HERE.