Great Neck man 'beat all the odds' as he takes step toward recovery

Wiggling a pinky toe. For most, it's an everyday occurrence, rarely considered.

For Seth Kurpiel, 47, of Great Neck, on a bed inside an intensive care unit at North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset, it was a moment of triumph.

Ten days before, on the afternoon of April 6, 2025, Kurpiel was with his youngest son, Benson, 12 at the time, at a neighborhood playground. He took a turn on the swing, fell off and landed head-first on the ground. Kurpiel blacked out for a few seconds, unclear about what happened but sure of one thing: he couldn't feel anything from the shoulders down.

Days and months of treatment followed, first surgical procedures to stabilize a broken neck and bruised spinal cord he suffered in the fall, then grueling, exhausting and seemingly endless rehabilitation, starting with that toe wiggle.

On Thursday, Kurpiel returned to the hospital, on his feet, at first with a walker, and sharing his story — from the day his life changed forever, to the slow but steady progress regaining bodily movement — and showing appreciation for the Northwell Health facility staff who've worked with him to make it possible.

"I was probably blacked out for a few seconds and when I came to I was lying on the floor fully conscious and it was the scariest moment of my life because I could not get up," Kurpiel said at a news conference at the hospital, where he was joined by some of the people involved in his care.

"Not only could I not get up," he added, "I could not do anything below ... my neck or shoulders."

More than 15 months after his injury, Kurpiel acknowledged how far he has come but stopped short of setting a long-term recovery goal.

Dr. Sheng-fu Larry Lo, who performed the first surgery on Kurpiel after he arrived at the hospital, praised his patient's improvement, especially considering where he started.

That day on the playground, Benson called 911 as his father lay nearby, injured and unable to move. Kurpiel credited his son's quick-thinking to his first-aid training as an Eagle Scout.

Fire department EMTs were on the scene in minutes. At the hospital, Lo performed surgery on Kurpiel, who spent 19 days recovering in the intensive care unit.

"Just to put it in perspective in terms of the medical terminology, basically he had a C5 complete spinal cord injury," Lo said during the news conference in the hospital's Petrocelli Surgical Pavilion lobby.

"And the chances of him being able to walk after that type of injury is in the single digits," said the hospital's chief of spine surgery.

"So, he beat all the odds."

Kurpiel spent four months recovering at Mount Sinai Hospital’s inpatient rehabilitation unit in Manhattan before finally going home, continuing his rehab over the last 10 months through Northwell’s STARS Rehabilitation.

"On the very first day, he told me ‘I want to be pushed and I’m here to work hard’ and he has truly proven that," said Kiera Donovan, a physical therapist for STARS Rehabilitation.

Donovan credited Kurpiel's success so far to his work ethic and dedication.

"Every single session," she said, "he gives 110% both in therapy and outside therapy. He does every exercise I give him plus 100."

Just last week Kurpiel took another major step in recovery by being able to get on and off the floor independently according to Donovan.

"As soon as he did it, he just asked ...‘what’s next’ " the physical therapist said.

Kurpiel now spends his days exercising and having physical therapy sessions.

Everyday is still a struggle, he said, with his biggest challenge being life at home. Kurpiel, who worked as actuary for commercial insurance at the time of his injury, describes his recovery so far as akin to the stock market — there are dips and spikes. He hopes to get more of his previous independence back, including walking without assistance, which he did briefly Thursday.

"Progress is painfully slow and not linear, which is extremely frustrating for me," Kurpiel said.

Kurpiel described his wife, herself a nurse, as his "hero" for all she has done, but he wants to give her a rest.

Morgan Kurpiel said the past year has been a challenge made more livable by the hospital's staff and medical team.

Hopefully, she said, her husband's story helps other families facing their own "impossible" odds.

"This is proof that if you put your mind to something and you work hard at it, the impossible is possible," she said. "Every day you wake up, if your lungs are working and your heart is beating, it's another opportunity to try."