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That trauma center happened to be located in Modesto, and an alert dispatcher or ranger aware that I had family there notified my mother via phone. She was on the helipad at the hospital when my ship landed, as I was told. She knew of the neurosurgeon that was called in to perform the craniotomy that saved my life, as she is an RN herself in town. The doctor told her that evening that despite his efforts, I would be dead the following morning, as the CAT scan revealed subdural and epidural hematomas and a massive fronto-temporal comminuted fracture with superior & inferior orbital fractures around my right eye. All for the thrill of going really fast down a steep hill. I credit my mother & father for saving my life and preserving the quality of life that I'm able to enjoy. Mom's field is rehabilitational medicine, and she was looking up head injury rehab. centers while I was still in a coma (it lasted ten days). My girlfriend at the time kept a diary of what was going on in the world and who came by to visit. That diary is one of my most precious possessions to this day, as she was working, finishing a teaching credential, and going to first aid classes and visiting me in the hospital when I couldn't say a word. I've seen the difference between those survivors who were able to go to head injury rehab and those who were thrust back into society still in an acute state. There is a marked difference, and I'm forever thankful that I had a mother who was aware of the available resources when I couldn't speak for myself. Afte three months of rehab, I had been taught methods for coping and handling my new deficits, but I was far from being able to survive in the "real world". This is where Mom & Dad deserve the credit for saving my life. They welcomed me back home, and provided a safe environment for making the silly mistakes and living with the hell of trying to be the person you used to be. I was a college graduate with a law enforcement commission, an EMT Certification, and feeling pretty good about myself when I ruined it all with a dumb stunt true to my demographic (males between the ages of 17 - 35 are most likely to injure themselves, get themselves lost, arrested, etc. up in Yosemite and just about anywhere else). I have kept most of my friends from before the accident, but I'm not the 'smart' one anymore, and I seem 'slow' to many people who don't know me well. My short-term memory keeps me quite confused at times, and my information processing is slow and downright exhausting in vocational settings. I was able to work as a backcountry ranger again at Yosemite in 1989,'90, and as a dispatcher (law enforcement and 911) in '91. I don't know how I survived dispatching; it's by far the hardest thing I've ever done since my accident. When I look back at those years, I realize now that I've improved and my cognitive abilities moved to higher level, but I have many days that I just don't know who I am or who I'm supposed to be. I can no longer do my beloved backcountry work due to orthopedic injuries, and after three years of doing clerical work in Yosemite Administration, I know that I can't keep up with the rest of the work force. I got along well with coworkers, but I know many of them just "tolerated" me and the length of time it took to complete tasks. Today, I live with my girlfriend of nearly three years whom I met on a river trip in Utah for mentally or physically handicapped individuals. She was a guide that I casually flirted with (she flirted back!) and has since become the most caring, loving and compassionate woman a man could ever imagine having. She doesn't mind my eccentricities and general weirdness that would bother the heck out of most people, and that is a miracle to me. In many ways, I've become a better person since my accident, but I miss being more confident in my pursuits and knowing what my calling in this life really is. But one thing's for sure: without Mom & Dad there to raise me all over again, I wouldn't have made it for even three years post-morbid. The key to success in surviving head injury is being able to grow up again in a loving environment with family or friends willing to sacrifice and understand the upside-down world of a traumatic brain injury survivor. In Cindy, I have a lovely, mature woman with the wisdom to understand to the best of her ability and the willingness to see my better points. In spite of living a very frustrating existence at times, I know that people knocked themselves out for me, and that makes me feel pretty good. For all of you out there living a post-TBI life of frustration and self-loathing, show the world a unique individual who has survived an experience that many couldn't have, and display the wisdom & grace that comes from kicking the Grim Reaper right in the butt. It's time for that good side of you to shine. You're a person that deserves admiration and love. Email James Gervasoni
My name is James Gervasoni and I'm originally from Modesto, California. Most of my professional life has been work as a seasonal ranger in Yosemite National Park. In March of 1988, after becoming a certified Emergency Medical Technician for my ranger skills, I did something remarkably foolish to "celebrate" my achievement of becoming an EMT. I took a crazy ride on a friend's bicycle down a very steep hill in Yosemite Valley in which I allegedly gained a speed of nearly 35 miles per hour without a helmet. Heard this kind of story before? The accident investigation and emergency response was done by friends & colleagues on shift that day, and to them I owe the credit for helping save my life. One such person involved was a partner who finished the EMT certification course with me. He (nor I) had any idea that he'd be getting the "real thing" in the field so soon. I'm proud to say that all rangers and doctors involved in my early care before the medivac ship arrived to transport me to a trauma center followed EMS protocol to a "T" and aided a recovery that wasn't supposed to happen.