Fund Established for Double Amputee Crash Victim, Framingham State Student

Family and friends have established a fund to help a Framingham State University student with his recovery from a motorcycle crash in October, that forced doctors to amputate both his legs.

On Saturday, Nov. 2. Anthony Spinelli, 20, was moved to Spaulding Rehabilitation in Boston. He spent part of the day with his girlfriend Grace and her mother outside. It was his first day outside since the crash and his first day in a wheelchair, according to a support page for him on Facebook.

"Anthony's tenacious spirit is incredible albeit there are times reality sets in. He will prevail, but it is going to be a long haul for him as well as the entire family. Renovations have begun to the family home to accommodate Anthony's needs. He wants to get back to FSU as soon as possible, he considers Framingham his other home," said Paula Waterman, a close family friend.

"He is my 'other son," my son's best friend. His family is my family," said Waterman.

"We are reaching out to our local community for support in all ways possible, but you can be helpful to us by getting this information to the public," Waterman told Framingham Patch.

For those looking to help fund Spinelli's long recovery, a fund has been set up at Merrimack Valley Federal Credit Union.

Donations can be mailed to:
The Spinelli Strong Fund
C/O Merrimack Valley Federal Credit Union 
500 Merrimack St., Lawrence, MA 01843

"He is in good spirits. He has a long way to go but we all know Anthony ... he will power through it," stated the latest update on the Anthony Spinelli Support Facebook Page, which has more than 2,000 supporters.

Spinelli struck a guard rail on Saturday, Oct. 19, in a motorcycle crash that closed Route 9.

A junior at Framingham State, with a major in criminal justice, he had hopes of being a state trooper. Spinelli lost one leg following the crash and had the second one amputated on Oct. 22.