Anthony Guastella, who lives in Liberty Lake, casually said, “He found it in the corner just behind the trash can,” just a short walk from the front yard to the garage.
The “it” that Guastella refers to is a hook that is currently in an almost insignificant position on the shelves in his garage.
“That’s the hook,” Guastella says with it.
It is a hook that no longer serves many purposes other than healing.
“What do you think when you see the hook now?” I asked Anthony.
He pauses for a moment and a little laughter comes across his face. “I know I have some contractor friends.” Yeah, now you tell me, “Anthony jokes. “I don’t know if I’m going to assemble it or something.”
In December 2020, Anthony was exercising in the garage before dinner because the gym was closed due to COVID, but because Anthony didn’t know, he was doing a lat pull-down exercise. It was that little hook.
And the hook couldn’t be held anymore and loosened violently.
“I didn’t really feel any pain,” Anthony said of his first reaction. “It (hook) broke my skull, so it must have hit me pretty hard.”
Anthony was conscious, but couldn’t move.
“I lost all the motor function on the left side of my body,” Anthony recalled. “I was trying to get my orientation and I heard the liquid. Then I looked up and saw the blood flowing.”
At this point, we still don’t know exactly what happened, so Anthony called his wife who called 911.
“I told her what I was doing, and she said,’Well, there’s no hook anymore.’ ”
Anthony spent nine days at Sacred Heart. It contained a tube for draining fluid that had been inserted into the skull, followed by major surgery.
“Traumatic brain injury varies greatly from person to person,” said Dr. Frank Jackson, Medical Director of the Brain Injury Program at the St. Luke’s Rehabilitation Institute. “He was completely weak on the left side of his body. At first he couldn’t move his left arm and left foot.”
Dr. Jackson and his team presented a blueprint for treatment for Anthony’s recovery.
“He was an energetic person, and it really helped to accelerate his recovery,” said Dr. Jackson.
After spending 18 days in St. Luke’s, Anthony was released to continue the long road to recovery. It was a journey that, like any other journey, had to start from one step.
“I decided to walk again,” Anthony said.
With that determination, Anthony found an old friend.
“The movement has drawn me into this, the movement will get me out of it,” Anthony said, showing his recovery motto.
At the end of March, 15 months after the month of recognition of brain damage and potentially life-changing damage, Anthony had his final physiotherapy session.
“I’m back to almost full power,” Anthony grinned. “I had a small graduation party. They (his physiotherapist made me a small hat and gown, and it was a streamer and said” PT graduate “.”
Most of Anthony’s workouts have been done in the gym lately, but you can still sometimes find him in his garage-going back to the horse-and in the background is that hook.
“It didn’t determine how I would live the rest of my life,” Anthony said.
Easy hook. Its purpose is now perspective.
“I’ll put it there to be careful not to think about anything obvious,” Anthony said.
The American Brain Damage Association To tell Every 9 seconds someone in the U.S. suffers a brain injury Each year, 3.6 million people suffer from acquired brain injury and at least 2.8 million suffer from traumatic brain injury.
“People with brain injuries are often described as’walking injured’,” said Dr. Jackson. “In many cases, their physical function can be spared or restored and they can walk around, but their cognition and thinking are delayed and can really affect people’s lives and professions. Is a quiet symptom of judgment and memory. “
The BIA estimates that at least 5.3 million Americans, one in 60, live with disorders associated with traumatic brain injury.
Both Dr. Jackson and BIA agree that falls are the leading cause of traumatic brain injury. So, Dr. Jackson, if you’re an elderly person experiencing a fall, tell someone. Talk to your family or doctor about what you can do from a medical or logistic perspective.
And if you fall or hit your head, you can see a medical professional, even if you feel good.
“I’ve seen many people suffer from subcutaneous hematomas, but the idea is that the blood may take several days to accumulate and then they (patients) may be really in trouble.” Dr. Jackson said.
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