The Story Behind Slimeyard Slimes

SlimeyardEvery once in a while, a story of human hardship, perseverance and personal triumph grips an entire community. Such was the case when Archer Senft, a 17-year-old McDonogh student from Baltimore, suffered a severe spinal cord injury that left him paralyzed and fighting for his life.

Since his injury on August 5, 2015, which occurred as he dove into the ocean at Cape May—something he’d done countless times before—Archer has far surpassed the expectations of many in the medical community, who initially wrote him off as a respiratory failure and later a ventilator failure. Archer now is breathing without a ventilator and using his biceps to operate a stylus. Slimeyard Slimes serves as one reminder of Archer’s profound progress since his injury.

Archer created Slimeyard Slimes, a project involving the sale of shirts and ties with the trademark snail logo that he designed, to help defray the costs of his nursing care and ongoing rehabilitation needs. The logo is significant for multiple reasons.

Archer was a budding artist prior to his accident. After his injury, aided by a mobile arm support to lift his shoulders, Archer’s first artistic attempt was a snail. The logo also signifies the pace of Archer’s recovery, as he describes in his own words on the slimeyardslimes.com website:

“Although it is true that I have come a long way in the year since August 5th, progress has been at a snail’s pace.”

Archer’s incredible focus finds him on pace to graduate from McDonogh with his class this spring, weighing options for college engineering programs next year, and helping manage the growth of Slimeyard Slimes products (t-shirts and ties), which already have proven a hit among scores of young Baltimore buyers. More details about Archer’s story and his Slimeyard Slimes products can be found online.

About Elizabeth Heubeck

Elizabeth Heubeck, a native of Baltimore, is a former editor of Baltimore's Child and the mother of two teenagers. Currently, she spends much of her spare time wishing she was a gourmet cook (or at least a solid short-order cook), hoping the piles of laundry would disappear and, in the warmer months, battling weeds in her flower beds.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *