Franklin ELIEH

1964 - 2022

Suddenly on Tuesday morning May 3rd, 2022, NorCal SCI co-founder Franklin Elieh passed away as a result of a heart attack. The entire NorCal SCI Organization is shocked and saddened by this news. Franklin did so much for the SCI community and he is simply irreplaceable. We are committed to continuing Franklin's vision and legacy to support the SCI community in Northern California.

Franklin was 24 when he suffered his injury while vacationing at a  beach on the East Coast as he dove through an oncoming wave of water, not realizing there was an elevated level of sand bar behind the wave. He suffered a C6, Complete, ASIA A injury. Though blessed with strong upper body motor function, he has no mobility below the chest level. 

He was a Santa Clara Valley Medical Center peer supporter from 2005 to 2017 and partnered with Ron Sidell and Nick Struthers as part of The Patterson Network Project before co-founding NorCal SCI. Franklin has always been employed in sales and marketing and has traveled domestically and internationally.  A resident of San Jose since 1985, he graduated from San Jose State University in 1986 and was then employed in the field of sales & marketing for the rest of his working life.

“Back in 1989, when I suffered my injury, there were no peer support groups, no Internet, e-mail or texting.  We had to literally figure things out on our own.  The amount of information that today’s SCI survivors must learn is exactly the same as what it was back in ’89 but unfortunately, typical rehab stays are now 1/4 of what they were back when I was injured. We can help make a major difference in advancing one’s ‘quality of life’ by communicating with them before they leave the hospital so that we can make the transition back to their home communities as comfortable as possible while showing them how they can still lead a very productive, active and fulfilling life. We want to be available to them as long as they want us.”