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WHEEL WORLD NEWS
September 2018
Monterey Park, in Phoenix. After attaching the legs to the scoreboard, the assembly was lifted, as if to stand it up, approximately 6’ into the air to allow for final connections to be made before lifting fully into place. My partner and I were both under the scoreboard when one of the eyebolts that secured it to the crane, broke. In the blink of an eye I was thrust forward and folded in half. I knew instantly that I was paralyzed. The pain was surreal; it shot through my body like a lightning bolt. I figured I was going to die under there, considering that there was a 1200-pound scoreboard on me and I was the crane operator. When we arrived on-site there was no one around. My partner was pinned from the thighs down, so he was able to yell for help. A few bystanders heard his calls and came to help. They ended up using the long crate that the scoreboard came in as a fulcrum to free us. What kept me going was the thought of my son growing up without a father; I couldn’t let it happen.
I was rushed to the Good Samaritan where I was diagnosed with minor facial lacerations, a collapsed left lung, 5 broken ribs and a T-12 spinal cord injury. I spent 10 days in the ICU and was transferred to the Craig Hospital in Englewood, CO. The facility is amazing! Craig specializes in spinal cord and traumatic brain injuries. I underwent a “crash course” in wheelchair independence in the two months I was there, including: wheelchair skills, grocery shopping, swimming, driving, bathing and cooking. I was confident I was prepared for the world outside Craig walls.
I returned home Christmas Eve in time to spend the holiday with my family. I didn’t really know to proceed with life at that point. Even though I had taken to the wheelchair very well, I still had trouble adjusting to my new life due to pain, time and relationships. Constant pain is something I never had to deal with until I became paralyzed. I have always had a decent tolerance for pain but when my right hip surges, it cripples me. I must stop what I’m doing to brace myself. The pain happens several times a day lasting anywhere from 5 to 10 minutes. I have yet to find a helpful solution as medications and traditional therapies have failed. Time was another challenge I faced and still do. I have less of it, it
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