I was struck by a car while riding my bicycle across Paris street, in Sudbury Ontario. The accident happened September 7, 1991.

The only injury I recieved was to my head. This happened because when the car hit me I was thrown off my bike and my head slammed into the pavement.

At that moment I went into a coma. (a coma can be described as a deep sleep lasting for days or even months) My coma lasted 2.5 months or 75 days.

I was rushed to the Sudbury General Hospital and kept on the Intensive Care Unit. Although I was not on life support, I did have monitors wired to me to monitor; brain fluid pressure, blood pressure, body temperature, and heart rate.

two weeks after the accident I had a tracheostomy performed on me (a tracheostomy can be described as a hole cut in the neck) This was necessary to keep moisture in my throat by means of a ventilator. This was also do done so I would not choke to death.

Once my situation became less critical, I was transfered to the General's stepdown unit.

My family stayed with me day in and day out. They attended to my needs. They applied moisturizer to my skin to prevent it from cracking. They exercised my limbs (arms and legs) as they were extremely rigid. They also put air splints (similar to water wings) on my arms to help keep them limber.

After the long 75 day period, my parents and the doctors felt that I was coming out of the coma. First my parents brought in a Garfield cat, and they were sure I was coming too because my eyes followed the stuffed cat as it was moved back and forth in front of me. Later one of the doctors noticed that I moved my legs on purpose. The doctor was sure it was not just a reflex.

And so, as you can plainly see, I came out of the coma, so then I went to the Hugh MacMillan rehab center in Toronto, Canada. There I met Vince McCormick, Debbie Lynch, and Rob Danson, my CCWs (child care workers) We got along great, and it was at Hugh MacMillan that I took my first steps since my car accident.

The accident slurred my speech, I now walk with a limp and and I've lost my short term memory.

Also, I have ADD, (attention deficit disorder) and the accident didn't help it one bit. So I went to Pioneer Youth Services, a chain of group homes in Kitchener/Waterloo/Guelph. I made a lot of friends there. I hated the life I was living, though... that's where "Weird Al" Yankovic, and his band come in, they've helped me out of a lot of jams, metaphorically speaking, I mean. Whenever I have a problem, a just play a Weird Al CD, that really helps.

---Dylan Martin

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