It's almost been 32 years since I got the phone call from parents that my brother was at a hospital in Modesto. My first thought was that he had been in a car accident. He and a friend were taking two girls to Turlock Lake for the day. It was Memorial Day so there would be a lot of traffic on the way there. Turlock Lake was the closest lake to Modesto and had a really nice beach. My parents wouldn't tell me what had happened but to get myself to the hospital as quick as I could.
My brother was in the ER. He was hooked up to machines, he had a tube down his nose and I think through his mouth. He was awake and scared. Can you imagine how terrifying it would be to have no feeling below your head? I found out that he and his friend had decided to cool off after they got to the lake. They had both ran out into the water to about hip level and dove in. Brett hit something on the bottom of the lake, his friend kept swimming unaware that something had happened. He at one point turned around and saw Brett floating in the water and laughed thinking he was playing around. When Brett didn't respond he swam over to him and grabbed him and brought his head above the water. Brett had been holding his breath and told his friend he couldn't feel anything. His friend they yelled for help and some guys came over and helped drag Brett up to the beach. They called an ambulance and it took him to a hospital in Modesto about 30 miles away.
We found out much later what had happened to Brett at the beach. He had no feeling below his shoulders but his head hurt really bad and my Mom could feel an indentation on his skull. Turlock Lake had boat races during the summer. People would make cement blocks and use them for ballast and then toss them over the side when the race was over. This is what Brett hit. Later the day that he was injured, some boaters pulled into the beach and jumped out of their boat onto the cement block that Brett had hit. It weighed about 50 pounds. They then brought it onto the shore.
My family endured some very hard times that summer. My brother was transferred to Santa Clara Valley Medical Center because they had a spinal cord injury unit there and would be better taken care of. My Mom packed her clothes up and didn't come home until August. We had friends in San Jose so she stayed at alternating friends houses so she could be with Brett.
My brother's spine was unstable so he had to be put into what is called a halo. Basically as I remember it, they drilled 4 holes into his skull so that they could insert screws that would connect to a piece of metal that encircled his skull (like a halo). The long metal pieces that were screwed into his head came down to a body cast that would then stabilize his spinal cord. If his spinal cord was not stabilized it would begin to disintegrate and would kill him. After about 6-8 weeks it was determined by his doctors that the halo was not working. The only option was surgery. The had to cut open his hip and take bone fragments from there and fuse them to his neck which would be wired together for stability. Fortunately this procedure worked and his spine was stabilized.
Part of the reason I am laying bare my brother's life is to introduce people to the disabled. They really are your neighbor, your high school friend, your sister. The one thing I noticed after spending many days at a spinal cord injury unit is that paralysis by an accident was by and large something that happened to boys/men. The other people in his ward were young men. They had been paralyzed by surfing, motorcycle and car accidents, gunshot. If you lead an active life this can happen to you. Be careful out there people.
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