Drew’s Accomplishments

Drew grew up to be an outstanding athlete and by the time he was a junior in high school he was nationally ranked as a gymnast. Olympic aspirations were on the horizon.

Now he is applying his ability and determination to his rehabilitation efforts, His progress has been chronicled by the Arizona Daily Star, pictured at left. The Star offers more information online. The following is excerpted from the Star’s wonderful coverage:


About the injury

When Drew landed on his head, his vertebrae thrust into his spinal cord, bruising it.

If it gets hit hard enough, the spinal cord does not regenerate. It does not heal. The cell bodies die. Ninety-nine percent of a spinal-cord injury occurs at the point of impact, said Dr. Thomas E. Balazy, Drew's doctor and the head of a nine-person team that cares for Drew at Craig Hospital.

Drew's genetics put him at more of a risk. His spinal column is more narrow than that of an average person. When his vertebrae was thrust into the spinal cord, it didn't have too far relatively, to travel.

Drew is considered a "C2" — meaning that the cord near the second cervical vertebrae is the last normal region.


Drew's future

After vertebrae are reset by surgery, doctors can only wait to see how the cord heals.

"There's no medicine or surgery above and beyond this," Balazy says. "The person's genetics and how hard it was hit shows us over time how a person's going to improve."

Patients usually show signs of improvement eight or 12 weeks after the accident, Balazy says.

Beyond the zone of partial preservation — the term used to describe the possibility of some function down the line — Drew's injury is categorized as "complete." That means that no specific region was spared the loss of voluntary movement and sensation.


Links

Drew was a drummer in a band called The Lemons. After the accident, the band wrote and recorded a song called "For Drew." To hear the song, visit their myspace page at myspace.com/thelemonsmusic.

Drew's family and friends host a chat room where Drew and his mom give updates to friends. To visit the chat room, go to http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/drew_d.


How you can help

I am asking people to join my effort by buying a TRI-FOR wrist band. My family and friends have donated the cost of the bands so that all the proceeds from every sale will go to Drew and Kelley.

I hope you'll join me in this cause and thank you.

Sincerely,

George Piers (email me)