Time Flies

Today is a very important day for me...its the 13th anniversary of my spinal cord injury.  While this milestone may seem unrelated to restoring a 1954 GMC pickup, it is relevant in the sense that my injury impacts how I negotiate the multitude of physical demands this project requires.  I suppose it is also worth acknowledging the obvious...my spinal cord injury occurred as the result of a car accident and here I am restoring a car which I suppose could lead to another spinal cord injury.  Foolish? Perhaps.  Ironic?  Definitely.

My lingering disabilities present many challenges when working on my truck.  For starters, I lack an incredible amount of dexterity...so seemingly simple tasks that involve a lot of very fine, coordinated hand movements are difficult.  In particular, I struggle most when working on objects above my head (like when I am on my back working on the underside of the truck's frame or fenders).  The reason for this is that the area of my spinal cord that was damaged is the part of the cord that gives rise to the nerves supplying the hands.  As a result, my injury left me unable to voluntarily open my hands/fingers and also weakened my grip strength considerably.  Here's a photo of me trying to voluntarily open my right hand (which, incidentally, is my "good" hand):

As you can see, at best I can only get my hand about half open when my wrist is near a neutral position.  Fortunately, I can use a technique called "tenodesis" to get my hand open even more:

Flexing the wrist (bottom image) allows me to get my fingers to open up more.  Extending this wrist (top image) helps close my hand and improve my grip strength

Between my residual hand function and the above technique, I manage fairly well...but it certainly makes "wrenchin" a lot trickier.  I also struggle with manipulating small objects in my hands (like nuts and bolts) and unfortunately no longer have opposable thumbs.  This means I can't move my thumb away-from and in-opposition-to my other fingers.  In practical terms, this equates to having the dexterity of a monkey.  I am also unable to give the "thumb's up" sign (below is a picture of me trying my best to give a thumbs up).

The Fonz would be so disappointed

Most reading this blog already know the story, but for those who don't, here it is in a nutshell.  I was 22 years old and had just graduated from college.  I had already been accepted into medical school and was scheduled to start the 3rd week of August.  About 3 weeks before starting school, my family took a road trip to visit my uncle in Missoula, MT.  About 6 hours east of Missoula (just outside of Butte, MT in an area known as the Wise River Valley) we got in an accident that caused our car to flip multiple times and take out a power line....here's a photo of the carnage (I was still in the car when this photo was taken):

Some rancher's nearby came over to help and call EMS so I could be safely extracted from the truck.

By some miracle, we all survived.  My mom and brother had minor scrapes and bruises.  I fortunately only sustained a cervical spinal cord injury and was paralyzed from the neck down.  Okay, go ahead...re-read that last sentence.  It wasn't a typo--I intentionally used the word fortunately.  I know...you're probably thinking I'm either lying or delusional...but this is really how I feel.  Let me explain.

Before my accident, I was an ass (granted, some may argue this is still the case).  Back then, my entire identity was built around my athletic, academic, and vocational pursuits.  I was also incredibly arrogant and not terribly compassionate.  In hindsight, I pretty much thought the world revolved around me.  In the blink of an eye, however, everything I knew changed.  I could no longer run (or walk for that matter), I couldn't pee or poop, and I couldn't even scratch an itch on my face.  Beyond the obvious, my chances for going to medical school and becoming a doctor quickly changed from a near certainty to slim and none...and at the time of my injury it initially looked as if slim had just left the building.  Needless to say, it was a pretty grim situation.

One of my first therapy sessions.  Note how it takes 3 people to move me.  My brother has my feet.

Fortunately, I have an amazing family who rallied and supported me throughout my rehabilitation.  Despite the doctor's initial predictions that I would be quadriplegic the rest of my life, I had a great outcome and eventually regained the ability to walk and take care of myself (thank god for that...the prospect of having someone else wipe my ass the rest of my life was really quite unappealing).  Here is a photo of my first steps after my injury:

My sister took this photo...if it wasn't for her, I wouldn't have a picture of this recovery milestone.

So fast forward 13 years:

• I graduated from medical school at the University of Iowa in 2005
• I finished my internship in 2006 (and, coincidentally, met my wife-to-be along the way)
• I decided to specialize in Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation as a result of my experience (which I would have never considered before my accident but in hindsight would have been a great fit for me even if I hadn't broken my neck)
• I did my residency at the Rehab Institute of Chicago (Where I got amazing training and made some of the closest/best friends I've ever had) 
• Got married to my beautiful wife (who has since dragged me out of my "comfort bubble" to multiple countries and cities to which I would otherwise have never traveled)
• I moved to Idaho where I get to see the mountains everyday
• I took a position as the medical director at an amazing hospital with the world's best rehab team
• When I take care of patients, I truly understand how they feel
• I fathered an amazing little girl who has stolen my heart (and the vast majority of my free time)
• I finally got a sweet 1950's era pickup (which reminds me everyday I am not half as smart as I like to believe I am).

So now do you see why I say "fortunately?"  I would challenge anyone that with the exception of the first bullet point, none of these things would have happened had it not been for my spinal cord injury.  In fact, I shutter to think where (or who) I would be today without having had this injury.  It was a defining moment that changed my life's entire trajectory and is why July 26th will always be a day of tremendous significance for me.