Family, friends rally for Deptford native

A South Jersey native who broke his neck diving in North Carolina is undergoing rehabilitation in Georgia.

But in and around Deptford, Stephen Seder Jr's family and friends are holding him close in their hearts -- and raising money in the hope he will  be able to walk again.

A benefit walk is set for Saturday, September 21 at Cooper River Park in Pennsauken, and a beef-and-beer is planned for Saturday,  November 9 at Holy Trinity School Gym in Westville Grove. His supporters also have created a "Stephen Seder Needs Our Help" page on Facebook, where walkers must register by September 17.

Seder, 35,  "is having his ups and downs...but absolutely, there is progress," his mother, Debbie, says from Atlanta, where her son is a patient at the Shepherd Center.

Seder dove into an ocean wave off Atlantic Beach, N.C. on July 27, hit his head on a sandbar, broke his neck, and damaged his spinal cord. He has sensation in his lower limbs but remains paralyzed from the waist down.

Debbie, 58, temporarily closed her Westville hair salon so she could be with her son. "I can't thank everybody [at home] enough for what they're doing," she says. "My husband and I have a lot of hope. Eventually we will see our son walk again."

For information, email Ashleywalters90@gmail.com.

--KEVIN RIORDAN