UNCATEGORIZED
“Some people want it to happen, some people wish it would happen, others make it happen.”
Magic Johnson
I have been a practicing Occupational Therapist since 1997. Over the years, I have found that there are many contributing factors that affect an individual’s recovery. However, nothing quite compares to that of personal motivation. What is that exactly? Motivation can be inspired by others, but it is an inner power that drives us towards a specific goal or outcome. In order for motivation to run within us, it must be powered by a true desire and aspiration.
This past year, I was fortunate enough to treat a patient who I found to be the most motivated individual I have ever met. He incurred a horrific injury and overcame significant obstacles in a matter of months. Although at the time it seemed near impossible, he not only reached a successful recovery, but in an extraordinary frame of time. I fully attribute this triumph to his MOTIVATION!
For my blog this week, I was fortunate to have Darwin share an excerpt from a story he wrote for a recent school assignment.
In the first week of April 2015, the weather was cool enough to keep the snow on the ground, but warm enough to be outside without a jacket. Entering the park I knew I was going too fast. I was approaching the ramp at full speed. It was too late when I realized I was going to clear the landing strip. I’m familiar with the feeling of landing on flat ground. Your feet slams the ground, your knees go through your chest, and you feel the whiplash on your neck in an attempt to maintain balance. In a desperate attempt to slow down I turned the back of my board sideways. It was too late. I was going to launch myself off of this jump but there was nothing I could do. I straightened out my board with expectations of embracing the flight. It happened fast and before I knew it, I was at the lip of the jump.
I went off of the jump and was still off balance from straightening out my board. As soon as I was in the air I knew I was in trouble. I was instantly upside down. In that moment in time, everything froze. I knew the landing was going to be bad, never in my life would I have ever expected what happened next.
Falling from 15 feet in the air I braced myself for the worse. BOOM! Impact. Landing directly on my neck I felt a snap as I tumbled across the snow. I knew something was wrong. I shouted in sheer agony. I felt as if someone took a knife and drove it into my spinal cord. Face down in the snow I tried to move my hands, nothing; I tried to kick my boots off, nothing. I continued to yell in agony, a sharp chest pain took over. I had been here before, only this time I was the patient. Being a first responder, I knew that I had to walk myself through the scenario. Losing motor function means there was nerve damage. If I can scream, I can breathe. As for the sharp pain, if I broke my neck there was a good chance I knocked my vertebrae into my chest cavity, breathing deep could potentially puncture one of my lungs. With this is mind I continued to take short breathes, avoiding deep breathing.
Luckily, I had two of my friends in close proximity of my accident. They immediately came to my side. Oblivious to what had just happened or to my condition, they asked me if I was okay. I muttered back my condition. Because of where I landed if anyone was to go off the jump they had the chance of landing on me. I immediately instructed my friends to move me to the side and block of the jump to protect us. A sharp radiating pain rushed through my body. I still had no movement in my arms or legs. I knew I wasn’t going to be able to get myself off of this mountain. We needed the ski patrol. My friends rolled me on my back to make it easier to breathe and to use the mountain as an ice pack for the swelling. One friend stayed by my side while the other snowboarded down to ski patrol.
Twenty minute later the ski patrol were there to package me up. My body was so tense from the inflammation I felt like rigor mortis was settling in. They began asking me medical questions and general information to help me. It was ironic how the tables were turned, I was used to being the one asking the questions. I began asking them what level of first responder they were so I knew what kind of treatment to expect.
They had to get me down the mountain using a long spine board. It was a piece of equipment I knew quite well as I specialized in training others when teaching EMT refresher classes. The motor control in my hands and fingers began to return. Getting off of the mountain was the only thought running through my mind. Once I was securely strapped in, they hauled me down the mountain on a sled strapped to a skier. I was wrapped in a tarp. I actually thought for a moment, this could have been me in a body bag. We had a long way to go until we returned to the ski lodge area. I felt like I was lying down in my soon to be coffin. I was feeling lifeless and couldn’t see anything. I pressed my eyes shut in expectations of another impact. I kept telling myself…it’ll only hurt till I die.
Finally, we arrived at the base of the mountain where the ambulance was already waiting. Without hesitation, they looked at me and called for a medical helicopter. A paramedic introduced himself to me and I was blinded by overbearing lights making him appear as if he was an angel. He grabbed my hands but all I felt was pins and needles. To my relief, he exclaimed, “Im going to give you the maximum dose of morphine.” After 10 mins the sensation began to trickle back into my body and the thought of impending doom slowly began to diminish.
I was transported via rescue to the helipad where I was transferred to the helicopter. The sound of grinding metal and fumes took over my senses as I was strapped down. Once I was set into place the area was so tight my nose grazed the ceiling. We took off and the rattling of the propellers mimicked that of an earthquake. My neck was extremely tender from the massive impact I had with the mountain. The rumbling of the helicopter created extreme amounts of pain. I paced my breathing to pass the time and to stay focused. Getting worked up would only increase the labor breathes, which would ultimately increase my circulation and wear off the medication.
Rolling into the hospital was a relentless corridor of swinging doors. Finally, we stopped in the emergency room to have the ceiling lights eclipsed by a team of doctors and nurses. Once again, another head to toe assessment was performed and the prognosis was bleek. Spinal cord damage and the possibility that I may never regain the feeling or movement in my hands and/or feet. That was the absolute most earthshattering statement for me. The entire situation was completely out of my control. I was assigned a room and primed for surgery the upcoming weekend.
I wish it was a dream but the details were so vivid. “ 1…2…3…turn…1…2…3…turn,” the doctors simultaneously counted out loud. The screws had to be drilled into my cranium equally to distribute pressure during spinal traction. An intervention used to minimize stress on the spinal column and reduce inflammation. Until surgery I was stuck for two days counting the squares on the ceiling above.
I had to wrestle my eyelids open post-operatively. The doctors explained to me that I had escaped paraplegia by the distance of only a hair follicle. My spinal cord was pinched without any long term permanent damage. My doctor’s pushed my vertebrae back into place and fused them together with two pins. I was told that if I made a full recovery, it was going to take a year.
My words….
On a Sunday in May of last year I met a young friendly firefighter that was volunteering at a fundraiser I was participating in for burn victims. Little did I know that the next day this young man would become my patient and friend. We had a great connection early on as I had shared with him that years ago I was a Call firefighter/ EMT. As Darwin walked into the clinic, he could barely move his neck and upper body. In order to look to the side he would move his eyes or his whole body. He shared his unbelievable story of the incident with me and I was truly amazed that he was actually sitting across the table from me. He had bilateral hand and upper extremity weakness and diminished functional use of his hands especially on one side. He had shared with me what an active person he was, we reviewed all of his job demands and that he was also in the National Guard. I remember feeling concerned and wondering if he was going to be able to return to all of these things he was so passionate about. I surely never let on to this….but yes I was greatly concerned.
As I got to know Darwin more and work with him I was astounded by his inner vision and strength towards having a full recovery. He had been told that he may never regain total function but he never once let that bring him down. He was consistent with all of his home exercises and had a clear mental image of what he wanted to achieve. His desire to come back as strong as possible was an unbelievable driving force in his recovery. He knew in his mind this could only turn out two ways…he was going to climb that mountain of recovery with whatever it would take or he was going to sit at the bottom and watch. Watching was never an option to him.
His path was amazing! He climbed that mountain at an astonishing rate and with amazing results. During his recovery in the clinic he would often share his story with others and do his best to motivate them. He had the desire to not only motivate himself but to all of those around him as well. I found his enthusiasm and motivational manner was contagious. Within months Darwin returned to work as a Firefighter. He has no functional deficits and has regained all of his strength. He works out consistently, continues in the National Guard and is physically active all the time.
My hope with Darwin’s story, is to show the importance of self- motivation in rehabilitation. I strongly feel that this is a key element to a successful recovery. Without motivation, you will not get significant and successful results or perhaps only mediocre ones. There will be times when it may seem hard to continue and even harder to finish, but staying motivated and being persistent and consistent with your program can be the key to ones recovery. I learned through Darwin that nothing is impossible when you are highly motivated. Audrey Hepburn was once quoted as saying, “Nothing is impossible, the word itself says I’m Possible!” Darwin never once thought that his recovery was impossible.
