Courtesy Photo | Randall Davis, left, reaches the finish line of the Pikes Peak Challenge for the...... read more read more
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FORT CARSON, Colo. - Randall Davis was out firing a rifle with friends in the California desert when he was accidentally shot twice in the head, nearly ending his life and halting his dreams of serving his country.
His friends drove him to the hospital in the back of a pickup truck while the teenager applied first aid to himself, not knowing that one of the bullets had entered his right temporal lobe. He said he was screaming to God that he wasn’t ready to die. He walked into the hospital, covered in mud and blood. A few weeks later he walked out with a second chance at life.
Even though he was told at 18 years old that he couldn’t even be drafted into the military due to his injuries, Davis recently completed eight years as a U.S. Army Reservist. Thirty years after surviving his near-fatal wounds, he now tries to help other veterans suffering from traumatic brain injury (TBI) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Recently, his efforts included climbing to the top of Pikes Peak to help raise awareness of TBI.
“The Pikes Peak Challenge symbolizes the mountains you have to move as a brain injury survivor to get your life back,” Davis said. “It’s an endurance event. You have to hang in there and push yourself.”
Davis first climbed Pikes Peak in 2008 with another Soldier who suffered a TBI from an IED that detonated next to his vehicle in Iraq.
“When I accomplished it the first time in 2008, that was right after my 40th birthday. I was ecstatic about it,” Davis said. “Doing it this year, six years later, was the day after my 46th birthday. I knew going into it how hard it was going to be."
“This was a last hoorah, representing and wanting to stand and represent other veterans at a unique venue,” he said.
Davis said the 12-hour hike represents the long haul needed to overcome TBI.
“It’s a very emotional event when you get to the summit,” Davis said. “When you get to 14,000 feet and you’re standing on top of this mountain looking down around you, in particular at Fort Carson, aside from the physical aspect of being in thin air, it’s breathtaking. The scenery is just unbelievable. When you are down on I-25 looking up at Pikes Peak it looks huge, but when you are just that little tiny ant standing on top, it puts a lot of things in perspective, of how far you had to go to get there. This year, being (the) 30th anniversary of my own brain injury and my second chance at life, that’s kind of what I’m looking at now. I’m looking back at how far I’ve had to come to get (to) where I’m at now."
“You hear that phrase of chasing the light at the end of the tunnel,” Davis said. “I feel like I’m now at that light at the end of the tunnel, and I know there are other people chasing that light that could use somebody to say, ‘I know what you’re going through, I’ve been there.’ If someone is dealing with the demons of brain injury and PTSD and that whole thing where they feel their life is wrecked, I’d like to be able to share with them that yeah it hurts, it sucks, your life is wrecked, but it doesn’t have to stay there. It takes time, persistence and you have to want it.”
Recovery takes time
Taking the time to recover is key for concussions and TBI, according to Lt. Col. Robert Price, 4th Infantry Division surgeon.
“The one thing that we worry about is when to return people to play,” Price said. “There (are) lots of good criteria out there on that. It’s important when you have a concussion to give your brain what we call ‘brain rest.’ If you sprain your ankle, we tell you to ice it, rest it, elevate it and take care of it. The same applies to concussions, whether it is a combat concussion or a sports concussion, it’s very important to rest the injured brain.”
Davis shared his story on the time it took to heal.
“The brain injury thing has been a lifelong journey of trying to rewire myself and find what I’m good at and what I’m not good at,” Davis said.
“It’s not going to heal overnight,” he added. “It’s not like a broken arm that heals in six weeks and you are good to go. It’s a life-altering journey and it just takes time, it takes endurance and patience. It’s not easy. Whether it is a blast or smacking your head on a dashboard or a motorcycle accident or falling off a ladder, there are so many ways the brain can get injured. They have to give themselves time to heal and it’s incredibly frustrating.”
Price added that rest is essential because one of the biggest risks for TBI or concussion patients is getting additional concussions. If a second concussion is sustained within about a 30-day period it can cause irreversible brain swelling and cause additional medical problems. He added that besides the physical symptoms, such as chronic headaches, memory problems, mood issues and balance problems, there can also be a higher risk of behavioral and emotional problems, such as depression, PTSD and thoughts of suicide.
TBI treatment has improved
“TBI is the signature injury from the current war,” Price said. “Two of the biggest things that came out of the war: We became very good at saving lives and we have a survivability rate that is higher than any time in history. So, the guys that are living, many of them have TBI and/or amputations. It is a devastating life injury.”
Price emphasized that there are many resources available and there is hope for recovery. One of the resources available is the Evans Army Community Hospital TBI clinic, which is part of the Warrior Recovery Center. People who suspect a concussion or TBI can go to their primary care physician to get a referral to the clinic.
Despite the devastation a TBI survivor may feel, Davis said there is hope to be found in the warrior spirit and the warrior ethos. He said it was that same ethos that helped him carry on and helped him reach the summit, both the summit of his injury and the mountain.
“I hear stories about the Vietnam veterans and PTSD and it’s the exact same thing,” Davis said. “Your spirit and mind is overloaded. You feel like you are at the end of your leash, that you can’t go any further. If I could, I would say to them, ‘You are a Soldier, you made it through basic (training and Advanced Individual Training). You got out there and you did your job. You performed as a Soldier and you got injured. You are still a Soldier. You fought hard to get where you were. You can continue fighting and overcome this.’”
| Date Taken: | 11.14.2014 |
| Date Posted: | 11.14.2014 14:17 |
| Story ID: | 147903 |
| Location: | FORT CARSON, CO, US |
| Hometown: | CHEYENNE, WY, US |
| Hometown: | DENVER, CO, US |
| Web Views: | 268 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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