Post by quadrollin on Jan 14, 2018 7:00:14 GMT -8
So I woke up early this morning, had trouble sleeping as I usually do and just laying there realized what day it was. On this day one year ago my life changed. Talk about a rough way to start the day especially how it happened. I really haven't talked about that day much but I thought I'd share for anyone interested.
The night before I was over my buddy's house and last minute we thought we'd break out the bikes and go riding the next day since it was unseasonably warm. We went down and loaded his bike in my truck and then I went home and loaded mine up. I already had my gear bag full and ready to go, or so I thought. The next morning I woke up late. We wanted to leave by 7, I woke up at 8 oops. So I was in a rush to get going and make up time. 2 hours later we where at the track. We unloaded the bikes and started to gear up. That's when I realized I forgot something important. I had something called a Leatt neck brace and I had forgot, I thought I put it in my bag. With waking up late I didn't get a chance to check and make sure I had everything. Didn't have an extra one and just told myself to be careful and not ride like and idiot. Well as evidence suggest that didn't happened. My buddy and I where only on our third lap when it all went wrong. I came up to a 15 foot jump that I did perfectly the first two times. I thought I was in 3 gear, started up the ramp and was realized I was in fourth. I didn't have enough to power to clear the jump. Came up to short and the front wheel hit first and through me over the bars. It happened so fast I didn't have time to react and landed on the crown of my head and that's when I heard my neck break. While I was waiting for my friend to come over I felt my body go numb and couldn't move, at that point I knew this wasn't going to be good.
My buddy went off to get the medics who keep me stable until the paramedics showed up. They strapped me to a back board and was loaded into the ambulance for a 10 minute ride to the hospital. Once in the ER I keep getting asked if I could "feel this" and I was the same answer for everything "no". I was sent for X-rays and an MRI which reviled I had dislocated the third and fourth vertebrae in my neck. C4 pinched my spine and c3 completely severed the spinal cord. I was put in a halo brace, which I believe hurt more then actually breaking my neck, then off for a seven hour surgery to fuse my spine from c2 to c5. I woke up two days later and had a breathing tube down my throat. After a few days I had another operation to have my tracheostomy done so I could get the breath tube out. I had a speaking value put in so I could at least communicate, had to learn how to talk all over again. Thats when the doctors told me that I was a quadriplegic and would never walk again. When I was told that I asked the question that I wasn't ready for the answer. I asked if I had been wearin the brace I forgot at home that day would this have happened. It was more then likely no or not as severe. When they told me that I broke down and lost it. Just knowing that I basically did this to myself still gets to me to this day.
I was in the ICU for 15 days then transferred to a regular room for 5 days. My family was able to arrange plans to get me back home and start my rehab. I spend 32 days at upmc's rehab in Pittsburgh. After being in rehab for 5 days that's when the ASIA test was done and was diagnosed a ASIA A c3c4 complete quadriplegic. Basically learned how to live life on a ventilator and in a wheelchair and rehab was probably the lowest point in my life. There where times I didn't want o push on but I truly believe I couldn't have got through with out my best friend and my close family.
One year later and I have not regained and feeling or movement but my mind set has changed. Still have those dark days but they are far and few in between. Still have my family and my best fiend in my life and help me so much to where I don't know where I'd be without them. That's what makes me think something that things could be worse. Sorry if this was long but I wanted to share.
