Hello,
My name is Kris and I am quadriplegic. In may of 2000 my friend Jason and I took my three wheeler out into box canyon off of tangerine road to go riding for a few hours. We only had the one three wheeler so we were taking turns riding. It was a very hot day and I was severely dehydrated and didn't realize it. While I was riding around 45 miles per hour I blacked out from dehydration and when I did I veered off the trail and hit a mesquite tree. The front tire hit the trunk first and then my head. This broke four vertebrae in my neck and pinched my spinal cord leaving me paralyzed pretty much from the neck down. I also broke three ribs and punctured my lung in three places. Luckily for me Jason heard the three wheeler stop abruptly so he knew that I either crashed or it broke down on me so he came looking for me immediately.
When he found me he knew right away that this was a life threatening accident. He also knew that with the extent of my head injuries my neck was probably broken. Jason knew that you're not supposed to move someone with a broken neck but we were so far out in the desert he had no choice but to load me into the back of his truck to get me to the main road where an ambulance or helicopter could pick me up. Jason got me into a full Nelson stabilizing my head the best he could and loaded me into the truck by himself. Then he had to drive several miles down the rough dirt road to get to the main road (tangerine road). Jason said it was a few minutes before he finally got reception on his cell phone and was able to call 911 to have the helicopter sent. Thank you for saving my life Jason!
The medevac helicopter landed on tangerine road and picked me up and I was taken to university medical center. I was in a coma for several days and the first thing I remember is waking up and my brother Bill was there with me. I felt like I was strapped to the bed, I could barely move my arms and I could turn my head but that was it. I suddenly realized that I must have had a bad accident. I couldn't speak due to the tracheotomy so my brother read my lips as I asked him "did I break my neck" and with tears rolling down his face he simply shook his head yes. I knew instantly that my life had just changed tremendously!
In the beginning I was told that I would never move anything except my head and I would be on a ventilator for the rest of my life. I was also told that I had a 50/50 chance of having a voice because when they did the emergency tracheotomy in the helicopter it was done too high on my neck. As you can imagine I was extremely depressed and in so much pain! I finally realized that I still had a life to live and I needed to learn how to do as many things as I could do.
I am paralyzed pretty much from the neck down. I cannot move my hands or my legs and I do not have any feeling below my collarbone. Luckily I still have some movement of my arms. It took a few months but thankfully I was able to get off of the ventilator and breathe on my own! I was also lucky to keep my voice!
Before my accident I was very active! Camping, hiking, riding my dirt bike or three wheeler, building and racing my car, playing music, singing karaoke and much more! Since the accident I have been confined to a nursing home. It was very difficult for a long time! At times I have had a very negative attitude and even wished that my accident had killed me but I have learned that negativity will get me nowhere and I try to stay positive no matter how hard it is!
I receive a social security disability check each monrh but after I pay my rent and other medical expenses I'm only left with $105 each montth and that doesn't go very far at all! Any donations are more helpful than you know and extremely appreciated! Thank you so much and god bless you all!