Luke Simpson
A couple years ago I participated in a stage race and had the honor to
meet Saul Raisin, the former professional cyclist that suffered a debilitating
traumatic brain injury during a race in Europe. As I listened to him speak and
later read his book about his recovery, I (probably like most people) had two
thoughts:
…and more callously,
“Wow, sucked to be him.”
“What an inspiring
story.”
…and more callously,
“Wow, sucked to be him.”
The second thought was just a result of thinking it would never happen
to me. If you run the odds, it just doesn’t factor into the threat matrix as
prominently as teenage girls with cell phones or that sketchy Cat 5 on the brand-new
Madone.
Then I got my bell rung. I’ve seen my share of stars and cartoon tweety
birds over the years, but this was the first time I was knocked unconscious and
woke up in an ER. Another driver’s moment of inattention resulted in a totaled
car and weeks of disorientation, speech delays, and random face plants. It
didn’t occur to me just how lucky I had been until my very pregnant wife broke
down into tears when we went to look at the remains of my car. It could have
been far, far worse.
Not everyone is so fortunate. About a week from my accident, a fellow
Anchorage cyclist was in a mountain bike accident and it’s a miracle that he’s
still alive. Luke Simpson, like most of us in the local cycling scene, manages
to balance an active, competitive life with a career and young family. His
company sponsored the Arctic Bike Club Road Division’s hill-climb series. Between
cycling, skiing, hiking, snowmachining, surfing, and climbing, he makes the
most of the environment that surrounds him. Although his life was saved through
the efforts of his friends and the medical team, he sustained significant head
injuries that led to a massive stroke in his brain stem, cutting off neural
connections between his brain and body and leaving him, for now, immobilized
and with reduced consciousness.
Imagine that for a second.
One minute you’re on top of the world, a healthy person ripping down some sweet
singletrack. The next second you’re fighting for your life, faced with a long
and very expensive recovery. That’s how quickly things can change.
I wouldn’t suggest that
anyone stop living life to the fullest on the off-chance that something bad
could happen. Bad things happen, and the balance you find through getting off
the couch makes your world infinitely better. I would suggest that the next
time a fellow cyclist experiences an accident that you muster a little better
than “sucks to be you”. Lend a hand, donate what you can, and help them to
return to making this sport awesome. It could be you next time.
For more information about
how you can help Luke and his family, visit:
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