Date: 1/28/04
Author: David Williams

It's always tough when something bad happens to one of our own. It's especially hard when that somebody has touched so many people and has been such an ambassador for our sport.

Danny Dean is an Arizona local pro and rides in the Outlaw division of the Arizona Wakeboard Association (AWA) events. He volunteers his time and judges for the AWA. He can often be found chatting with his fellow wakeboarders as board4food1 on the WakeWorld Discussion Board. He's even starting his own wakeboard clothing company called Enemy of Evil. But right now, Danny is dealing with the biggest challenge his young life has ever encountered as he receives treatment in the Intensive Care Unit of Scottsdale Memorial Hospital.

Danny is totally devoted to wakeboarding and has perfected a lot of his moves with the aid of a trampoline. This past Saturday night, Danny was attending a "gym party" with a group of people from his church. He was demonstrating some of his maneuvers by bouncing off an inclined mini-tramp into an eight-foot deep pit of foam rubber chunks. On one of his jumps he went extraordinarily high and he got inverted doing a gainer. However,

Danny Dean and girlfriend Natalie

he didn't get around all the way and came down forehead first into the foam. Although he hit the pit dead center, the impact was too great for the amount of foam and Danny's head hit bottom and snapped backwards breaking two vertebrae in his neck.

Danny has received some very impressive medical care at Scottsdale Memorial Hospital's Osborn Campus from one of the doctors that operated on Jessica Lynch. Danny's surgery involved the reconstruction of vertebrae C5 and C6 using cadaver bone and titanium plating to fuse the two rebuilt bones. Although he has some sensation in his limbs, he still has no voluntary control of any part of his body below his arm pits. He has limited use of his arms and cannot make a fist. Danny was unable to breathe or speak on his own until they removed his ventilator on Monday morning.

Tuesday saw Danny getting his first taste of real food since the accident and today (Wednesday) he was moved from the ICU to the TNMC (Trauma/Neurological Medical Center) wing of the hospital.

According to Danny's doctors, the tough part is what lies ahead for Danny. Just about everything that can be accomplished medically has been done and now the boredom sets in as he waits for improvements. This type of spinal chord injury takes about a year and a half to heal, during which physical therapy is the key to bringing the body back. After 18 months, the patient is usually locked into whatever condition they've achieved.

Despite all he's been through, Danny's prognosis is guardedly optimistic. Danny's dad, Doug Dean, related, "Danny's attitude is strong. Stories of so many others who have come back from this type of injury are inspiring to him. His attitude is totally positive. He wants everyone to know he will ride again and he emphasized that your thoughts and prayers make all the difference. No matter how much it hurts him right now, he said he wants to learn from this adversity, grow from the experience and come out of this a better, stronger man. He cherishes his friends and is thriving on the overwhelming outpouring of support, especially the support from the many riders around Arizona and the country who are encouraging him on. It's his best therapy. He says as soon as he can he'll be out there helping to organize events, judging competitions or supporting the sport in whatever capacity he is able to perform until he's back on his board again going big."

If you'd like to wish Danny well, add your comments to the running thread on the WakeWorld Discussion Board. If you'd like to send a card or something else to Danny, use the following address.

Scottsdale Healthcare Osborn
TNMC #654A
7400 E. Osborn Rd.
Scottsdale AZ 85251

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