FATBMX Your Online BMX News Resource Since 1998

Stephen came through his operation yesterday and the doctors were happy with the way it all went. Having ths operation was the next big step that needed to happen. It was a big un at 7 hours but during that time they managed to stabilise his neck some more by pinning and plating the posterior side of his 3,4 and 5th cervical vertebrae. During this op, they also found he has fractured his T4 (4th thoracic vertebrae) and decided the best way for this to heal was to use a body brace.

There are a few further complications. He has a lot of crap on his lungs which is affecting his breathing. Because he is lying down his lungs are flat and this enables all the crap to build on his lungs and increase the risk of him catching pneumonia.

He also has a stomach infection cause by his body being immune to regular antibiotics, so he is now on IV antibiotics for the next 5 days which should clear it up. 

Once again I have to say that the response to initial message sent out has been absolutely amazing. Donations are coming in from all over the world! Stephen’s family is so proud of all your donations and generosity and it has brought some light to a dark time in their lives. Good news is that Steven is showing great potential compared to others who have suffered similar injuries. He’s an athlete and a fighter and we all hope the best for the up and coming months. STAY STRONG STEVEN!!!

We have also made a HUGE stride in the way of legitimizing the fund and are now receiving the help from a profound 501(c) 3 Non Profit Organization. What this means is that we can now receive much larger donations! We can now be involved with much larger scale opportunities to support Stephen Murray and many different plans are already in the works. 

It's good to see all the support towards Stephen Murray. At this moment he's undergoing another 7 hour surgery but his friends don't sit still. We all want this to work out the best way possible for Stephen and it's important to show your support. It not only gives Stephen but also his family and close friends a lot of strength.

Next to the fundraisers also "Stephen-Murray-support" stickers and T-shirts are being printed, there's a Myspace that's dedicated to the recovery, jams are being organized and you can now leave a message for Stephen in the left column here on FATBMX.

- Leave a message for Stephen by hitting this link.
- Go to Stephen's myspace site
- Be on the lookout for Murray shirts by RockStar energy drinks
- Da Compound is having two Benefit jams in July

We are having the Free Flow Tour Contest Here at Ramp Rats on July 1st. Its only $10 to enter and there are a ton of prizes. The grand prize is a trip to Orlando to ride in the Fee Flow finals and possibly riding against the best in the world like Dave Mirra and Mike Spinner. It's 21 and under only and the JR. class is 15 and under. Sign ups start at 10 am and the contest starts at 1pm. We have a new set up as usual at RR and it should be a good comp. Last year we had the most BMX riders in the whole country. I want to keep that title again this year so come out and ride. It's Jam format so just ride and have fun with your buddies. 

First and foremost I want to thank everyone who has helped in passing this message along. The initial flood of responses warranted a phone call from PayPal to make sure we were expecting the participation we got! We have received a ton of emails today and the money is starting to come in from all over the world! The immediate goal is to help with living expenses for the next six weeks as Stephen’s family from Great Britain and his wife and children will likely be staying in Baltimore MD for the next six weeks. This will no doubt be something that needs our help for a very long time.

Remember there are three different ways that you can help immediately. All proceeds will be given directly to the Stephen Murray Family.

1) Email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with the dollar amount you would like to contribute. You will then receive an email back with the 

Stephen Murray is a BMX Athlete that could use help from the BMX community. Stephen is a professional dirt jumper that is well known for his amazing tricks like double back flips, 360 back flips, turndown back flips and so much more. Stephen Murray came to the United States from New Castle Great Britain over 10 years ago with a dream of riding with the best athletes in the sport. He came over here originally as a BMX racer but quickly took to Dirt Jumping and Freestyle in the scene of Huntington Beach and Sheep Hills.

2001 and 2002 marked the biggest year for Stephen Murray of his career. He won the Gold Medal in Dirt Jumping at X Games and back to back wins at the Gravity Games, the two biggest contests at the time.

Stephen is quoted on his own riding style, “I go 110%, go big and send it!” (EXPN.com) 

You have probably heard about Stephen Murray's terrible crash he had in Baltimore at the Dew Tour last week. A double backflip went wrong and Stephen broke three vertebrae in his neck and was taken to hospital and operated upon immediately. He is in "critical but stable" condition and will undergo another operation today (Monday). Everyone at FATBMX wishes Stephen, his family and his friends all the best. A strong group of supporters are in the beginning stages of forming a non-profit organization on behalf of Stephen, wife Melissa, son Mason and step son Seth. They will need all the help, support, donations they can get. As plans on the event progresses, we will post the information here on FATBMX.

Here's the latest situation:

Stephen Murray update 25/6/07

If you want to ride a good session at this skatepark and you can make it to Cheyenne, WY., do it this Saturday 30 June for a BMX Rodeo. The Sturman park will have a Beginner ($5), Expert ($10) and Pro ($15) class. The place looks great.

 FOR MORE INFO CALL Cody Fox at: 307-631-2706

Party time at these guys' this week:
29 June - Bob Haro 1958
29 June - Brian Foster 1972
29 June - Rob Nolli 1972
29 June - Manu Massabova 1972
29 June - Alain Massabova 1972
29 June - Shaun Butler 1976
01 July  -  Mike Laird 1974

Okay, let's face it. You did some traveling to a BMX contest to see awesome riding and to hang out with your BMX friends. When the contest gets cancelled because of the shitty weather conditions, your friends are still there. Instead of staying in the hotel moaning about the weather you can go out and have a good time. It wasn't a regular night for the locals in Newton Abbot. BMX was in town which turned the Jolly Farmer and even Enigma into a good place. With Red Bull kicking in 1000 drinking tickets we each had a drink or two. BMX on the Enigma disco dancefloor in Devon, who would have ever thought.