Personal Information

These pages, most of which were written by Jerry after his accident and prior to his death, are his view into what happened and what he could do about it.

This is a very private view into the life of a young man who lived that life until the day he went to a better place.

The Accident

  I am a C4-C5 quadriplegic.  I hope the spinal cord injury information provided in this website will help others as it has helped me. I have found that a loving and caring family, belief in God, a strong belief in your own abilities and a thorough rehabilitation schedule, have been the catalyst for my recovery to date.

  The life I knew and the lives of everyone I care about came to a sudden crashing end on June 20, 1995, when several of my brothers, nephews and I were jumping on the trampoline, the back flips that I had been doing, I had done numerous times. This time something went terribly wrong, I did not complete the back flip for whatever reason and landed on my neck followed by all 230 pounds of my 6'-5" frame. I had broken my neck, I knew it was very serious because of my difficulty in breathing. Thank God one of my brothers had received paramedic training in the oil fields and held me steady.

  I can only imagine the devastation to my family when the doctor's told them the prognosis,  "your son will be paralyzed from the neck down for the rest of his life." My Father had told us not to set up the trampoline because of his fear of it, but like most young people, nothing will happen to me. At this young age, (I had just turned 30 at the time of the accident) I, like most, had the world by the tail and of the opinion that I was indestructible, infallible and invisible, little did I realize at the time, what terrible consequences were just a split-second from occurring.

  I hope to provide information and encouragement for others who, like me, are also spinal cord injured, and to anyone else who may be interested in spinal cord injuries (SCI).