On June 8th Cooper was involved in a horrific dirtbike accident. He was out with some friends and didn’t quite make a jump all the way. He hit his head and broke his back. Thank heavens his friends were fast thinkers and called 911. He was then life flighted to Mercy where he had an MRI done. It was found that his T6, T7, & T8 vertebrae were damaged. T7 was the most impacted to the point it doesn’t really exist anymore. This is when the drs told us that he was paralyzed and there was a slim chance of walking again.
He went into emergency surgery the morning of the 9th which gave us the best of the best drs and surgeons. They placed a rod with screws in his back that stretch from T3 to T10. With that surgery they were able to relieve the pressure off his spine which will help with recovery. He was extremely doped up and doesn’t remember much.
The 10 has been a whirlwind of information and therapy. OT and PT both came to the room and had him sitting up with his legs over the bed. This may not sound like much but it’s a huge step to recovery. He got extremely dizzy and lightheaded so they laid him back down. He was up and sitting for 3 min. Again a huge success. During the OT we found that he was able to feel pressure on his left leg. Talk about an exciting moment. He however felt nothing on the right side. He still has no mobility. He does need to do deep breathing exercises so that he doesn’t get pneumonia. With this injury, he is very high risk.
Tonight we are ending the 10th with a high temp of 102. The nurses are keeping a very close eye on him.
I will hopefully keep everyone updated nightly on his progress. If you have a question go ahead and ask and I’ll get to it when I can.
Thank you all for the prayers and the offers! I know there is talk about a food train but until we get back from rehab we really won’t be able to utilize it.
With his need for a wheelchair there will be so many updates and changes the family will need to make to be able to bring him home. Also, his rehabilitation is most likely going to be done outside of the state. Funds for his mom and dad to be there for Cooper are needed to help them help Cooper.
Again, thank you all for the outpouring of support. We greatly appreciate it!
