Photo By Maj. Amanda Hammond | Spc. Rashaad Gregory, an air conditioning and refrigeration repairer with the 3666th...... read more read more
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PHOENIX – It’s Saturday morning, just before 7 a.m. The door to the Pettycrew Armory opens, and with some assistance, a young smiling soldier seated in a wheel chair enters. Dressed in his Army combat uniform, the National Guardsman is arriving for drill for the first time since nearly dying in a vehicle accident July 28.
Spc. Rashaad Gregory, an air conditioning and refrigeration repairer, with the 3666th Support Maintenance Company in Phoenix, has defied medical expectations after a car accident caused his skull to tear away from his spine.
This type of injury, which is rare, is referred to as an internal decapitation and typically results in death or paralysis.
“The first time I went to see him, he was on complete life support and the doctors were not optimistic at all,” said Lt. Col. Kenneth Stice, the 158th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion commanding officer and Gregory’s battalion commander. “With an internal decapitation like this, statistically 99 percent of the people die on the scene.”
Gregory said doctors told him it was the actions of his friend and fellow guardsman, Pfc. Edwin Carter, which saved his life. Carter, who was driving when another vehicle collided into theirs, stabilized Gregory’s head and neck until paramedics arrived.
When Gregory arrived at the hospital the outlook from his injuries looked bleak.
Ken Gregory, Rashaad’s father, said the original prognosis from staff at Saint Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center wasn’t good. Gregory’s father was told that his son would be a quadriplegic and be dependent on a ventilator for the rest of his life.
After successful surgeries to repair his internal injuries and fuse his spine and skull, Gregory started to make progressive improvements that led doctors to be more optimistic about his recovery.
Throughout his recovery Gregory stayed positive about what had happened to him.
“Gregory just never took ‘you can’t’ or ‘no’ for an answer,” said Stice. “His determination, spirit, and desire to prove everyone wrong, were awe-inspiring.”
During the almost four month hospital stay, Gregory received a tremendous amount of support from his family, friends, church and military.
“I wanted him to understand that the military is a family,” said Sgt. 1st Class Tiffany Fisher, the readiness noncommissioned officer for the 3666th Support Maintenance Company. “He was going to be treated like family and he was going to be supported as if he was a family member.”
Gregory had only been a soldier for a short time, drilling twice with his unit before the accident occurred. His personality however, had already made an impression on some of his fellow soldiers.
“He always had a smile on his face and a joke to tell,” said Fisher. “He’s just a happy kind of guy, very positive, optimistic.”
Fisher said she believes Gregory’s optimism and positivity helped him recover.
“He was sitting in a hospital bed for almost four months, not being able to move, and I never heard a negative word come out of his mouth,” said Fisher. “Not even one day of, ‘Man, this really sucks.’ He never looked at things that way.”
While in the hospital Gregory’s unit promoted him from private first class to specialist.
The military was a huge focus point in Gregory’s recovery process, said Fisher.
“When he knew he was getting out of that hospital, all we had to do is make sure his uniform was ready,” said Fisher. “Because he wanted to walk out in that uniform.”
On Nov. 15, that’s exactly what Gregory did. Dressed in his Army uniform, with a walker for assistance and his father by his side, the person who was originally supposed to be a quadriplegic walked out of the hospital.
“My family, my dad, my sisters, my brother and my girlfriend were there for me throughout this,” said Gregory.
Gregory said his support system played a big factor in his recovery. He credited his church, friends, and the military with helping him during his healing process. Fisher, who was his platoon sergeant at the time, was amazing, said Gregory.
“She would always make sure that I was taken care of,” Gregory said. “She went above and beyond what she hand to do.”
Gregory said he couldn’t be grateful enough for the fact that he is alive. He’s grateful for the people in his life, people that have been there for him through it all. He said he didn’t know what he would have done by himself.
“It’s easier to believe in yourself when you have someone there believing in you,” said Gregory. “I would not have been able to do as much as I have without my family and my friends. They are the source of my strength.”
Gregory still has a long road to full recovery, but he’s working hard and staying positive.
“I made a comment to him on my second visit,” said Stice. “I said we’re all dealt bad hands as we go on in life, how you play the hand is up to you. The next time I saw him he said ‘Sir, I turned that horrible hand into a royal flush.’ And I have to agree, he has.”
| Date Taken: | 12.11.2013 |
| Date Posted: | 12.11.2013 04:03 |
| Story ID: | 118025 |
| Location: | PHOENIX, ARIZONA, US |
| Web Views: | 2,755 |
| Downloads: | 2 |
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