Background Story
My story begins around 12:00 noon on Tuesday, December 29, 2009. Like many teenagers, I love to drive – the freedom and independence a car provides is unbelievable. While I was traveling on a country road on my way to a friend’s house, my car hit a patch of ice. The ice caused the car to slide, go off the left side ditch, become airborne and flip over. While I was fortunate to remain in the car, the force of the impact against the car seat broke my back leaving me in severe pain – my back was on fire. A neighboring farm family came to my aid until the rescue squads arrived. It took the rescue squads sometime to cut me out of the wreckage, before they could load me into the Careflight helicopter. I was originally transported to St Rita’s Hospital in Lima, before being flown to the Ohio State Medical Center. At one time, I thought about going to college at OSU, but not in this style, nor a crash course in modern medicine.
I underwent surgery the next morning to place 2 rods in my back and remove the broken bone fragments from my spinal cord area. My T12 was shattered from the impact. The bone fragments cut into my spinal cord, leaving me paralysed from the waist down. My life and lifestyle was forever changed. However, thanks to my upbringing, sitting down was never an option.
A week after my surgery, I was moved to Dodds Hall at OSU to begin my physical therapy. This would be my home for the next 6 weeks. A caring staff of therapists and nurses, and countless visits from my friends and family, helped pass the time, as well as keeping a journal on Caring Bridge (www.caringbridge.org/visit/toddreigelsperger). I was fortunate to meet several others my age in the same situation to help me realize that while life would now be a challenge, I am capable to meet the challenges that lay ahead. I finally arrived back home on February 3rd to see the renovated house (I now have one of the best bedrooms with a roll in shower and closet), as well as head back to school to finish up my senior year in order to graduate with my friends.
While learning to cope with paralysis these past 6 months has taught me many things: patience, responsibility, discipline, determination, perseverance, compassion, and independence, my increased confidence and faith have lifted me to accept the challenges that lay ahead to help me focus on what I need to do to lead a significant life.
I intend to further my education at Wright State while continuing my therapy with the design of walking again some day. Until then, I will be rolling along and cruising in my new car. I plan to continue volunteering throughout my life to help others realize that our life experiences make each of us unique. I am forever grateful for the generosity of everyone who has been and continues helping me. My family works hard to find the means to pay for my medical needs and equipment, but without the support of so many people who I may never even meet, it would be financially impossible to pursue my dreams.
Thank you very much for your support.