Thank you for your prayers and support for my brother Richard the last few days. I know so many of you don’t even know what happened or what is going on, but have emailed, texted, and called to convey your support and love… and we thank you. We know that the few details out there have been vague to everyone but our family, simply because it has taken two days for the doctors to really get a handle on the situation and give us an over-all prognosis.
After today, I will post an update each day here about his condition and what is going on.
I know many of you don’t know the whole story… So I will start from the beginning:
On Monday afternoon, around 3:00pm, Richard was running by himself in Atlantic Station, an area of Atlanta, when he decided to jump up on a wide wall… and run along the edge. He didn’t take time to see what was on the other side, and he told us that he didn’t even take one step before he tripped. He fell 50 feet to concrete below. Because Richard is crazy-strong and has the ability to think fast, he maneuvered his body in the air in order to land on his feet. The best way to land should you fall like this.
He sustained NO internal injuries and NO head trauma.
A college student saw this happen and rushed to help him (no one we know). He was a lifeguard and knew how to stabilize and keep Richard alert until the ambulance arrived. Richard didn’t have his phone or ID on him, but miraculously he didn’t black-out and was able to remember our phone numbers to call.
An Overview of Richard’s Injuries:
Sternum: Fractured, but didn’t collapse. They can’t do anything for it, but it will heal with time.
Left Arm: Elbow was really torn up. It was an External/Exposed Fracture… Which is exactly what it sounds like. The surgeon said it was the worst he has ever seen. It will take a series of probably 3 surgeries to repair it. Wrist/hand is pretty broken up. To many bones to explain. They are still debating on how they will be treating it.
Legs/Ankles: Both Lower Tibia’s (Shin Bone), Ankles/Feet are broken up. But the doctors believe that several surgeries, rehab and time will heal them.
Spine: Richard’s spine was completely broken at L1 and L2. Which is his lower back. His Spinal Cord was miraculously protected (the part that would cause paralysis)… but all three layers of his spinal column were completely shattered. The pieces of his spine were wrapped up and pressing on his nerves and nerve roots, causing him to have no feeling in his left leg and very limited in his right leg.
Hip: The muscle on his upper leg and hip was completely removed from the bone, but this has been repaired. And will just take time to heal and rehab.
Prognosis and Plan:
On Monday evening they did the first operation on his legs and left arm. This procedure consisted of them simply putting and piecing the bones where they need to go, and then just splinting them. (temporary casts)
Yesterday (Tuesday) Morning at 7:30am they took him in for the surgery on his back. It was a twelve hour surgery, where they removed all of the pieces of his broken spine, stabilized his spine with a variety of apparatuses, and rebuilt his spine using pieces of his hip. The surgery was as successful as it could be. His spine is now inline and is stabilized. Only time will tell if the nerve damage/lack of motion and feeling in his legs is permanent or temporary. The doctors think because he is young and healthy that there is definitely a good chance that his nerves will heal. We are believing for this!
This morning (Wednesday) he is in for a second surgery for his feet/ankles/tibia. They are putting in pins to begin holding the bones where they need to be. Richard is looking forward to looking like the bionic man. J This is a temporary fix until he is able to have reconstructive surgery.
We have been told that the second surgery to begin grafting his elbow may occur tomorrow (Thursday), but we do not know for sure yet.
Hospital Details:
We are currently at Grady Hospital, in Atlanta, where he is getting the very best care! We will be here for at least 3 more weeks-1 month.
After this time he will more than likely be transferred to The Shepherds Center in Atlanta. Shepherds is one of the top 10 Rehab hospitals in the nation, specializing in medical treatment, research, and rehabilitation for people with spinal cord and brain injury. They expect that he will be there for 3 additional months.
I cannot imagine how much you, his friends, want to see him and visit him, but he is not currently in a place where he can be visited. He is in a restricted ICU Trauma hall and only 2 family members are even allowed to be in the waiting room at one time. However, there is a separate waiting area where people can come visit us. We actually are at a place today where we can enjoy the company, but we just ask that you text us or call to make sure it is a good time… We will be sure to let you know when he will be in a place where he can see visitors.
Long-Term:
Realistically, the doctors and surgeons have told us that this will be a long road… a year to a year-and-a-half recovery. It is a little overwhelming right now, but we know that God is so very faithful. Although we know it will be a little bit of a rollercoaster, we believe that God’s plans for Richard are great and exciting!
Needs:
Many of you have been so gracious to offer to help us. Honestly, George and I have never been in a situation where we really will need help in a variety of ways. We need prayers for stamina and wisdom right now. There are so many decisions to be made and so little sleep to be had. We are his “Powers of Attorney” and are acting on his behalf.
Financially, many of you have contacted us on how you can help. We are so very grateful for this show of love. However, we know that we need a better plan for this (a foundation of sorts) before accepting any gifts. We are meeting with some folks and will let you all know how an opportunity of this nature will look in the near future.
Many of you have also offered to bring us meals, provide lodging for family members flying in, etc. And we will be taking you up on it! I will be asking a couple friends to create a contact list, calendar, etc. I will put their information up on the blog soon.
I will update this later today to let you all know how he’s doing after surgery. Thanks again for your prayers!
