I don't know Mark personally, but highly appreciate the amount of work he's put into supporting our trails on the North Shore. The following was taken from Mark's facebook page; it's a good message that should be shared.
Get better soon Mark!
(Would be awesome if this could be a positive thread!)
I broke my neck, its true. I wanted to share details so we can all be aware that next little crash might be far more serious than you think…
Wasnât a big crash - a quick over the bars, but finished with an awkward head plant. My shoulders and neck went numb for a half minute before returning. I knew right away the mechanism of injury wasnât good. Luckily I was with someone. Vince: âYou ok?â Me: âI donât think so, Iâm not sure I want to moveâ. I was lying on my back with my head stabilized by my camelback. After remaining motionless, waiting for the adrenaline to fade, I tried to move my head ever so slightly. I could literally feel the grinding of bones at the base of my skull. âMake the call Vinnie.â NVFD was there in 30 minutes to cart me out.
Fast forward two weeks later and my first check up is positive, the 3 fractures in my C1 are confirmed stable, pain is subsiding. Iâm able to stand again and even starting to take short walks but I admit it has been an uncertain and distressing couple of weeks. Realistically, I'm not out of the woods yet but âYouâre trending in the right directionâ, recent assurances from the neuro surgeon (who thank God won't have to operate), âkeep in mind this is a very serious injury and thereâs lots of soft tissue damage that will take months to heal.â Iâm grateful to be walking, knowing others havenât been so lucky. Iâve had a lot of time to sit and think, staring at the ceiling. I wanted to share this as a reminder of the risks out there and to consider our duty to ourselves and others weâre riding with.Please consider this: Get some first aid training-know how to stabilize a spinal injury. Understand mechanism of injury and make a responsible call in the field-suggesting to stand up and shake it off could be the biggest mistake you make. If youâre riding solo, put your cell in an accessible pocket â thereâs no way I could have got my cell out of my camelback in my condition or without great risk. We love to ride, but something that can be so incredibly fun can turn very serious in a split second. Consider how you will be prepared when things go sideways because that day may come ready or not. Be ready.
A big thanks to the North Van Fire Department for a pro evac Marty Lazarski. I canât thank the team at Lionâs Gate Hospital enough for your care Nikola Starko â I will never complain about MSP premiums again smile emoticon. PS-thanks for the morphine! Thank you to all of those in the Inner Circle for taking care of me, Iâve been helpless as a baby. Thank you to Vincent Beasse for keeping it level when it was needed. Itâs going to be awhile before Iâm out there again but I will be back.
