The Facts
Every year, there are 17,730 new cases of spinal cord injuries (SCI) reported in the United States. This equates to approximately 54 people per one million cases. With 328 million people living in the U.S., SCI impacts .005% of the U.S. population. At a quick glance, this number may seem small, but each year it drastically changes the lives of 17,730 people, plus their family, friends and communities. This small percentage, the one that is half of one percent, represents my husband, Ryan Danley.
The Story
Almost a year ago, Ryan and I spent a weekend at a friend’s cottage in Bancroft, Canada. And on the morning of January 26, 2019 – just 22 days after his 30th birthday, Ryan went out on a snowmobile ride with a group of friends, and while riding around a frozen pond, he crashed into an unmarked, snow covered dock.
Soon after help was notified, Ryan was swiftly airlifted to Kingston General Hospital, where he underwent an emergency surgery that lasted five hours. The five hours that I spent pacing the small hospital hallways all alone with a low cell phone battery, only making short quick calls to family members.
I sat at an available waiting room computer and began my research on spinal cord injuries. Up until I spoke to the surgeon after his surgery, I thought we would be returning to the cottage before turning home, but I would find out that this was just the beginning of the recovery process.
We would later find out that Ryan’s accident would result in an incomplete spinal cord compression at his C7 and T1 vertebrae, leaving him with no feeling or movement below his chest.
The first few days after surgery Ryan was in so much pain and there were so many unknowns. At the time, I was processing the thought of my husband possibly never being able to walk again, yet not knowing how many other functions of his body would be altered as well. But most of all, I was wishing I could help relieve his pain.
We stayed in Canada for two and half weeks before Ryan was stable enough to travel in an ambulance for 10 hours back to Columbus, Ohio. Ryan was taken directly to The Ohio State University’s Dodd Rehabilitation Center for six weeks of in-patient therapy.
