Dirt Bikes and "PIF"

August 03, 2007; I was riding my dirt bike without a helmet and I crashed. The impact was so severe that I broke my back in 2 places; I also had a severe brain injury; with 3 hemorrhages. The left side of my head hit the ground so hard that my brain slammed so hard against the right side of my head that I had really scrambled my egg. I was airlifted to Memorial Hospital. There are many miracles that play into the fact that I am alive: #1 I owe my life to God and his son Jesus; they saved me; they provided the emergency response crews from Middlebury & Goshen; the Trauma Team from Memorial Hospital; the Emergency Trauma Team at Memorial Hospital; the ICU Staff at Memorial Hospital. The night of my injury; things were not looking too good for me; my parents were told that my brain pressure was so high that I was going to die and they should call my siblings so everyone could be together. The first thing my mother did when she got to the hospital was made sure that I was an organ donor. If I was not going to live my family was going to make sure other people could live with my organs; it was her intention to “PAY IT FORWARD”. After calling my siblings; my parents went back to the ICU and that is when God sent Dr. David Cockerill who suggested trying to do brain surgery to relieve the pressure. I LIVED! There are also the 5 “silent life savers” (people who I have never met and will never know their identity) who also helped me live by donating blood. You can “PAY IT FORWARD” by becoming an Organ Donor. When you get a driver license or ID you can sign up to be an organ donor or you can go to www.donatelifeindiana.org and sign up to be an organ donor. You can also “PAY IT FORWARD” by donating blood; if you want to donate blood call Elkhart General Hospital; that is where my sisters go to donate their blood. When you see the commercials that say “Was it you who saved my life?” It is very true that lives are saved by people who donate blood and organs. I would encourage everyone to be an organ donor; I am and who knows the life I save may be yours. I have seizures so I cannot donate blood; but I encourage everyone who can to do so, it will save the life of someone who is loved. Thank you to God; everyone mentioned above and the 5 “silent life savers” who PAID IT FORWARD and saved my life. By the way I typed this with one hand; my left one does not work since my accident!