Ivan has been in the Exhibition Industry for close to 20 years, 15 of which have been with Willwork Global Event Services. He is a vital team member at Willwork serving as one of our top leads. Ivan is always traveling around the country to service our large scale I&D and GC projects for a multitude of clients. He is loved by not only the Willwork family, but by every client he has worked with over the years. He and his wife, Laura, share two beautiful children, Lola (18) and Ivan Jr. (20).
On May 17th, 2024, while onsite at a show in Boston, MA, Ivan suffered from a horrific accident causing what the hospital has diagnosed as a Catastrophic Spinal Injury. He spent over a week in the ICU unit, and has since been moved to a rehab facility where he will remain for a minimum of 6 weeks, potentially longer. As of May 27th, 2024, Ivan has regained mobility on his right side. He can leg press over 200# and he has a grip strength of 120# in his right hand. His left arm is at about 40% but he has not regaining any feeling in his left leg. At this time, doctors have given him a 25% chance this could get better with time. He has been provided a prosthetic to enable him to walk and is learning how to get around. The swelling in his brain has gone down but there was more damage than had originally been observed. He has no feeling from his chest to thigh and is having some trouble breathing so he is on oxygen.He has no sense of hunger and some trouble swallowing so he is on a liquid and puree diet. Ivan also has a stage 3 concussion that is affecting his short-term memory and speech. He said he has trouble with his Spanish and
does an hour with a speech therapist daily and is expected to make a full recovery from this part of his injuries. He is medicated so his speech is slow and slightly slurred.
At this time we are unsure of the full magnitude of financial hardship that will land on this family as a result of this accident. There will be costs for the ambulance which took him from the BCEC to the nearest hospital, multiple days which he spent in the ICU, a plethora of test and medication needed while in the hospital, a minimum 6 week stay in a rehab facility, working with specialists 6 days a week for 3+ hours of physical therapy, etc. In addition to all the medical expenses, the family is also incurring additional costs for them to fly up to Boston and be with Ivan since he is unable to leave the state in his current condition. Travel, lodging, food, etc. costs will all pile up as well. Finally, the doctors are unsure if Ivan will ever fully recover allowing him to return to work. Ivan is the main source of income for his family so him being out of work will create additional financial hardship for the Vazquez’s.
