[OHPV-list] FW: Tom Breedlove -- OOPS

[VanGundy]

I got the following email from Tom & Beth this morning.  I have talked to
Beth off and on over the last couple days, and had told them I would forward
this information to the group, once they said it was ok.  I was going to
re-write and sum it all up, but decided it sounded best in their own words
(hope that's ok T&B?).  Sounds like Tom's sense of humor is still intact,
and will definitely help in recovery.  Apparently what he is most upset
about, is that he didn't get to go to Battle Mountain with Todd & Lonnie.  I
guess he has been talking to them daily about the goings on.  

 

As I said earlier, Beth, if you need any help, anything at all, just ask.
We don't want you to wear yourself down over the next few months.  We want
you both healthy and recovered by July.  We still need you both for RAO,
remember?????

 

Sounds like Tom gets to go home from the hospital tomorrow.  He is in Legacy
Salmon Creek over in Vancouver.  

Cards and calls and good wishes welcome now, company when he's feeling
better.

         Edna

 

Edna and David:

 

Attached is Tom's dication he gave me about the incident.  I thought I would
tell you what happened in my portion of the email and you could write
something up.  But I did want you to see what Tom had to stay.

 

Tuesday night he was riding his Trikke (HPV) to the Skyview High School to
see if the tennis courts were open for us to play a little tennis before he
left the for the Land Speed Championships.  He was riding his Trikke on the
sidewalk to be SAFE (at this point, we all laugh when he says this), when he
reached the end of the sidewalk where the wheelchair access of the sidewalk
goes down to the street.  The wheelchair access was off to the side rather
than in the middle of the sidewalk, so Tom turned a hard right to go down
the access and then turned a hard left to get back on course with the
street.  As he made the hard left, the front wheel of the Trikke went out
from underneath him.  He landed first on his left hand to break his fall
(this is how the wrist was shattered), then Tom took the rest of the fall on
his left hip (this is how he broke his femur.)

 

He has a vertical fracture that runs up from the femur into the ball of the
bone where the femur meets the pelvis.  He has currently three pins holding
this fracture in place.  Unfortunately because the break is vertical, Tom is
not going to be able to put any weight on the hip area for about a month at
least.

 

His wrist was described by the doctor as "wrist bone soup."  Basically when
Tom came down on this hand, the radius bone was shoved up into the wrist and
he completely shattered all of the carpel bones in his wrist.  He also
fractured the radius, ulna and tore ligimates and tendons.  He has under
gone two surgeries.  The last surgery was the most extensive with them
putting a plate, lots of pins and bone grafts into his wrist.  He as an
external X Fix on the outside of the hand holding all this in place.  He
will not be putting any weight on the wrist for at least six weeks.

 

Tom is in good spirits and is wanting to get back on his Trikke.  It looks
like he will be getting out of the hospital on Monday, Oct 10.  Thank you so
much for the phone calls Edna. Tom appreciates everyone's concern and
support.

 

Love Beth

 

Comments from Tom:

 

Dear Edna and Dave

 

We sincerely apologize for not having written you sooner about this grave
matter.  But because it did not become a grave matter, I guess we have to
write you.  Beth and I are both constructing this email.  So don't be
surprised that there is a lot of jumping around, interjections or other
nonsense..  Just have fun and we might do the same.

 

As you may of heard, I was out riding my Trikke (HPV) preparing for the
World Speed Land Championships.  When a fast moving object blew by me,
overturning my vehicle with the sheer dynamic forces of hurricane winds
created by the,,,,,,small rodent.  Oh well, so I am not that fast.  But I do
have fun.  

 

Unfortunately, the curb and I disagreed on proximity issues.  Ergo, and as
it should be, I lost.  The damage was one fractured femur/ball and a
severely/extraordinarily brutal decimation of the left arm and wrist.  YUM
YUM YUM.  And so after lots of titanium bolts, pins, and bone grafts from
other donors, humpty dumpty will be hopefully sitting on the wall again.   I
could go into gory details, but I don't think you would really want to know.
However, I am still fully capable eating every slice of pizza put in front
of me,,, like the true champion I am!

 

Best Wishes on Dave's birthday.  Hope all went well or at least better than
my birthday celebration.  Did I tell you that I turned 50 just a few days
before the accident?  So Slug, you be careful out there for at least the
next solid week of riding.  And then I think you will be just fine.

 

Bugs and Squishes

Grog and Uta

 

 

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