By Katie Scarvey
kscarvey@salisburypost.com
A Fourth of July gathering of friends on a boat changed Adam Haynes’ life.
It was 2007, and Haynes, then a college student, was hanging out on a boat at Lake Norman with friends, having fun, waiting to watch fireworks.
When the boat drifted near a sandbar, Adam dived in to push it off.
What he didn’t realize was that the water was only 18 inches deep.
The impact shattered the C5 vertebra in his neck, leaving him paralyzed. He endured a 3 1/2 hour operation to remove fragments of his shattered vertebra and to have a titanium cage implanted to stabilize spinal column.
Because of lung problems that developed as a result of breathing in bacteria-filled lake water, Adam was put into a medically induced coma and put on a RotaProne bed, typically used as a last resort for patients with acute lung injuries.
Although his survival was in doubt, Adam made it through that crisis and eventually was transferred to the Shepherd Center in Atlanta, a catastrophic care hospital known for caring for those with spinal cord injuries. He remained there for seven months before returning home.
The small bit of good news in all this deluge of bad news was that his spinal cord was not severed ó leaving the possibility, at least, for gains that otherwise would not be possible.
The days since the accident have “definitely been a grind,” says Adam, who undoubtedly faces many challenges. Still, his situation is much better than it used to be.
He’s got a lot of people in his corner to help him with his fight.
His mother, Debbie Haynes, took off a year from her job at Salisbury High to help take care of Adam. She went back to teaching last year. Adam’s grandmother, Betty DeHart, with the help of husband Jim, has taken over during the weekdays that Debbie has to work.
In fact, On July 30, Betty passed the exam to earn her Certified Nursing Assistant certificate .
She and Adam are “big buddies,” Debbie says. She’s grateful that Betty has been there to help with Adam’s care during the day.
“God is good,” Betty says. “We are surviving. Adam’s got a great attitude. He’s a blessing, he’s so upbeat and funny. I have a great time with him.
“I don’t know how other people do it without the family support,” Debbie says. “I would never want to find out.”
“He’s doing really well,” Debbie continues. “Two years ago I would never have been able to see this side of it, coming this far ahead.”
He still isn’t able to walk, but he’s gotten a lot of strength back, and he can maneuver and function easier, he says.
He’s got a job, working four hours a day doing research at Global Contact Services in Salisbury. He continues to go to physical therapy in order to get stronger.
His goal is still to walk, however.
“You’ve got to shoot high,” he says. “I pretty much shoot for that.”
But even if Adam never walks again, he says, he wants to be independent, to be able to take care of himself completely.
Coming to terms with his new reality took a while, he says, adding that it’s been a humbling experience.
“I’ve gone through my ups and downs,” he says, adding that he had a lot of plans before his accident.
When you realize those plans aren’t going to happen, “It can kind of kill your spirit a little bit,” he says.
He acknowledges that he’s not where he wants to be, physically.
“It’s a day-to-day thing,” he says. “As of today, I’m comfortable with it. Tomorrow, who knows? But right now, I kind of take it with open arms.”
He says he’s gone through the usual things: anger, depression, but emphasizes the one-day-at-a-time approach. “That’s all you can do,” he says. “You wake up and try to make that day the best it can be.”
His eyes were opened, he says, to a world he never considered before his accident.
“I had no idea what a quadriplegic goes through on a day-to-day basis,” he says. “I was oblivious to it.”
Adam is working hard these days.
He continues physical therapy, traveling to Mooresville several times a week to work at a facility called Race to Walk, a non-profit organization designed to help those with paralysis get the exercise therapy they need, with the goal of regaining as much function as possible.
“We pick up where physical therapy drops off,” says Andy Bricker, the president and founder of Race to Walk. “We are intensive exercise therapy.”
Andy and his wife, Dawn, had powerful motivation to start Race To Walk. Three years ago, Dawn was in a boating accident, which left her paralyzed. Her injury is similar to Adam’s.
Andy began gathering equipment wherever he could find it for her to work out on ó much of it handicap-accessible, and some of it designed specifically for quadriplegics.
Andy found items on Craigslist, eBay and at auctions. Some things were donated. He acquired so much equipment that he and Dawn decided they needed to open a non-profit organization so that others could use and benefit from it.
Race to Walk offers exercise therapy with personal trainers, as well as gym memberships for those who are disabled (the cost is $40 a month). Amputees, stroke victims and those with muscular dystrophy are among those who can benefit from what Race to Walk offers.
The exercise-based therapy is designed to reeducate the damaged nervous system in order to help people regain movement and increase their independence.
On Tuesday, Adam was at the Race to Walk gym for one of his two weekly therapy sessions. Trainers Bridget Johnson and Martine Twist helped move him through a series of exercises designed to strengthen his already functioning muscles and stimulate the ones that are not functioning.
He’s been focusing on core strengthening, working on his abdominal muscles, trying to get those nerves to fire. He also works his upper body, doing bench presses, biceps curls and exercises designed to get his triceps going ó they’re a weak area, he says.
Dawn observes Adam as he goes through his workout. Clearly, she understands what he’s going through, how hard he’s working ó and why.
For some of the exercises, Adam stands, with support.
“It’s a huge boost to your mood,” Dawn explains, “to get to stand after being in a chair all day.”
Besides being a place to get stronger physically, the gym is also a place for those with similar issues to simply be with one another, sharing their experiences and supporting one another emotionally. And that was part of the reason that the Brickers decided to open Race to Walk.
Indeed, Race to Walk is a cheerful place, without the sometimes depressing atmosphere of therapy in a hospital environment. It feels like a regular gym ó only for those with handicaps.
Debbie says that she can tell her son is becoming stronger. And Betty points out that since starting at Race to Walk, Adam can now transfer himself from his chair to his bed ó something he used to need help to do.
“He’s come so far,” she says.
He’s able to move his wrists but is still working on moving his fingers. He uses a gadget at home that sends electric pulses to help wake up the nerves in his fingers.
The hardest thing he deals with, he says, are the everyday mobility issues ó not being able to just pick and go wherever he wants, when he wants.
“It takes longer to get ready to go places,” he says.
Adam says he has a whole new respect for life and for those who face adversity in their lives.
“It kind of makes you more aware of other people,” he says.
Adam was a communications major at North Carolina State University when his accident happened; he’s hoping to take some classes at Rowan Cabarrus Community College and decide what major he wants to finish ó at this point, he’s not sure, he says.
Adam’s exercise therapy at the non-profit Race to Walk costs $300 a week and is not covered by insurance. If you would like to help him pursue his recovery there, you may make a donation through Race to Walk, which will be placed in a special account and earmarked for Adam. Donations are tax-deductible.
For more information, call 704-696-0425 or go to www.Race to Walk.org.