The Begining

I thought I would start out by sharing a few pictures and facts about Shaun's accident. September 13, 2003: The day of Shaun's accident he had been at the Holiday Inn in Spring Lake, MI for a bike show. As he was heading home, he lost control of the bike just after the bridge in Grand Haven, MI. His choice was to either hit the guard rail on the bike and go over the guard rail down a hill or to jump off and hope for the best. So he pushed the bike away and bailed, hands over helmet, hoping all the cars behind would stop in time. When Shaun hit the pavement, he landed on his right shoulder. The  force of the landing stretched all of his nerves like rubber bands, tearing all of them away from his spinal chord. He also suffered broken bones, road rash, and bruises.
 

(One of the last pictures of Shaun before his accident)

 

(Some of the damage to the bike)

 

(Always seeing the bright side of things, even in rough times)

 

Shaun suffered a brachial plexus injury. A description from Wikipedia is:Brachial plexus injury affects cutaneous sensations and movements in the upper limb. They can be caused by stretching, diseases, and wounds to the lateral cervical region (posterior triangle) of the neck or the axilla. Depending on the location of the injury, the signs and symptoms can range from complete paralysis to anesthesia. Testing the patient's ability to perform movements and comparing it to their normal side is a method to assess the degree of paralysis. A common brachial plexus injury is from a hard landing where the shoulder widely separates from the neck (such as in the case of motorcycle accidents or falling from a tree). These stretches can cause ruptures to the superior portions of the brachial plexus or avulse the roots from the spinal cord.

(Some of the bruises and road rash)

 

(Adjusting to life in a whole new way)

 

May of 2004 Shaun and his parents went to The University of Michigan for a nerve graft surgery. Their plan was to remove nerves from the back of his leg and replace the damaged ones in his neck. This gave him a little feeling in his arm. The were not however able to reconect the nerves running to his hand because the spot they would re-attach was too dangerous.

 

(Upper incisions from nerve graft surgery)

 

Shaun said if they didn't figure out a way to make his arm work after 10 years, he would have it amputated. He has been on forums and discussion groups for people with the same injury. It's helped him in making his decision, hearing what others have done and how it has changed their lives. The last few years for us have been busy with new houses, wedding, and work. Now that things have settled down a bit and the 10 year mark passing, he has made the choice to go ahead with things....