The San Diego Enforcers are hosting a fundraiser Thursday for a U.S. Customs and Border Protection agent who sustained two broken vertebrae while playing with the football team last month.
Agent Kurt Nagel, 36, faces a long recovery according to his wife Angela Nagel.
"The fact that he is not paralyzed is even more of a miracle,” Nagel’s wife and mother of three said.
Nagel, a former Marine, suffered a broken neck on March 26th while playing as a defensive back for the Enforcers at a charity game. The Enforcers are a semi-professional team made up of law enforcement officers, firefighters and military police.
The fundraiser runs all day Thursday at Buca di Beppo at 10749 Westview Parkway in Mira Mesa.
Nagel underwent surgery to re-insert screws into his neck on Easter Sunday. The surgery was successful, but his recovery will take a long time.
The restaurant plans to donate 15% of its sales Thursday to the family.
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"Our goal is to fill the restaurant with a lot of happy, well fed, customers," organizer Janet Wong said.
A GoFundMe page had been set up to help the Nagel family with medical costs.