.
.
.
.
.
From the ICU to the finish line in 2.5
Enrico Quilico 2000 nearly came back from the dead to make an impressive showing in his first-ever triathlon September 13. Two and a half years ago, he was in a serious motorcycle accident that left him with injuries that his doctors thought he would never recover from. At one point, he was lying in a coma and his family was told to be prepared to pull the plug.
Enrico Quilico 2000 nearly came back from the dead to make an impressive showing in his first-ever triathlon September 13. Two and a half years ago, he was in a serious motorcycle accident that left him with injuries that his doctors thought he would never recover from. At one point, he was lying in a coma and his family was told to be prepared to pull the plug.
But, last Saturday, those same family members were ecstatic when Enrico sprinted across the finish line after swimming, cycling and running his way to an impressive showing in this grueling competition. "I knew he could do it," said his mother, Kathryn Stevenson. "I didn't know he could do it in two and a half years, but knew he could do it."
Enrico says he was a young bon vivant before his accident, an outgoing, sociable person who loved physical training. On May 21, 2006, returning from a motorcycle ride on Ile Perreault, he was cut off by an oncoming car. Slamming on the brakes, he fell hard, smashing his pelvis and breaking his elbow and several ribs. He slid 60 feet and hit the car head-first at 70 kilometres per hour, experiencing massive brain trauma.
Fortunately, the car behind Enrico contained two doctors, who sprang to his aid and called an ambulance. In intensive care, doctors put Enrico into an artificially induced coma and applied a shunt to reduce the swelling in his head. But the pressure was too great, so they had to remove a large section of his skull to prevent irreparable brain damage. If they had not been successful, "I would certainly have been a vegetable," Enrico says.
But his problems were only beginning. His pituitary and adrenal glands stopped working, his pancreas became infected and he developed a sinus infection. Surgeons spent four hours rebuilding Enrico's left elbow, using metal plates and titanium screws that he still wears, but he developed pneumonia and had have a tracheotomy and be put on a breathing machine.
Eight days after the accident, doctors tried to arouse Enrico from his induced coma. To his family's horror, he did not wake up, and the doctors told them they should be prepared to pull the plug if he did not revive soon. Five days later, his aunt was amazed to see his fingers and eyelids twitch slightly, and the long road to recovery began. "I was, essentially, reborn," says Enrico.
But it was a rough road. Enrico had to rebuild his mental world piece by piece. He experienced hallucinations and was, for a while, lost in paranoid fantasies about what was going on around him and had to be tied to his bed every night.
On his first trip outside the hospital, Enrico says, "I felt like a rag doll that had been fixed up and taken for a road trip."
Soon after, his rehabilitation therapy began in earnest, and Enrico responded enthusiastically. He not only had to rebuild his body, but also re-learn most of the physical, mental and even social skills he had possessed before. Just walking up stairs was a major challenge, and mental concentration was extremely difficult. But, before long he was back home, back in school and back in the gym recovering his former physical strength.
The bouts of fatigue that still plague him were not in evidence on September 13 when he competed in the Montreal triathlon on Ile Ste-Helene. He turned in an impressive performance for any first-time triathlete--astonishing for someone who's been through what he has.
He completed the 750-m swim, 20-k bike and 5-k run in just over 1 hour and 16 minutes, finishing near the top third and recording what one organizer called "an amazing pace" in the final run, crossing the finish line in a burst of speed.
Afterward, he said it had been all "smooth sailing" and he felt strong throughout the race. He obviously loved the experience and says he now wants to try bigger competitions.
Enrico's father, Gino, a well-known operatic baritone, had driven down from Quebec City the night before the race, after having sung the part of Jean Valjean in Les Miserables. He was so moved by his son's achievement that he said his would be "a tough show" the following night. Enrico's stepfather, former Westmount mayor Peter Trent, was also there to cheer Enrico on, as were a throng of friends and television and newspaper reporters.
His triathlon performance will, no doubt, provide new material for the talks Enrico gives to students about safety. He has visited Selwyn House and other schools as a speaker for Think First, an organization that informs young people about the importance of wearing helmets and seat-belts.
"When brought to face yourself in this manner...you really find out what you are made of, what you can choose to do with your future," says Enrico.
"I chose to make this terrible accident a turning point in my life."
But, last Saturday, those same family members were ecstatic when Enrico sprinted across the finish line after swimming, cycling and running his way to an impressive showing in this grueling competition. "I knew he could do it," said his mother, Kathryn Stevenson. "I didn't know he could do it in two and a half years, but knew he could do it."
Enrico says he was a young bon vivant before his accident, an outgoing, sociable person who loved physical training. On May 21, 2006, returning from a motorcycle ride on Ile Perreault, he was cut off by an oncoming car. Slamming on the brakes, he fell hard, smashing his pelvis and breaking his elbow and several ribs. He slid 60 feet and hit the car head-first at 70 kilometres per hour, experiencing massive brain trauma.
Fortunately, the car behind Enrico contained two doctors, who sprang to his aid and called an ambulance. In intensive care, doctors put Enrico into an artificially induced coma and applied a shunt to reduce the swelling in his head. But the pressure was too great, so they had to remove a large section of his skull to prevent irreparable brain damage. If they had not been successful, "I would certainly have been a vegetable," Enrico says.
But his problems were only beginning. His pituitary and adrenal glands stopped working, his pancreas became infected and he developed a sinus infection. Surgeons spent four hours rebuilding Enrico's left elbow, using metal plates and titanium screws that he still wears, but he developed pneumonia and had have a tracheotomy and be put on a breathing machine.
Eight days after the accident, doctors tried to arouse Enrico from his induced coma. To his family's horror, he did not wake up, and the doctors told them they should be prepared to pull the plug if he did not revive soon. Five days later, his aunt was amazed to see his fingers and eyelids twitch slightly, and the long road to recovery began. "I was, essentially, reborn," says Enrico.
But it was a rough road. Enrico had to rebuild his mental world piece by piece. He experienced hallucinations and was, for a while, lost in paranoid fantasies about what was going on around him and had to be tied to his bed every night.
On his first trip outside the hospital, Enrico says, "I felt like a rag doll that had been fixed up and taken for a road trip."
Soon after, his rehabilitation therapy began in earnest, and Enrico responded enthusiastically. He not only had to rebuild his body, but also re-learn most of the physical, mental and even social skills he had possessed before. Just walking up stairs was a major challenge, and mental concentration was extremely difficult. But, before long he was back home, back in school and back in the gym recovering his former physical strength.
The bouts of fatigue that still plague him were not in evidence on September 13 when he competed in the Montreal triathlon on Ile Ste-Helene. He turned in an impressive performance for any first-time triathlete--astonishing for someone who's been through what he has.
He completed the 750-m swim, 20-k bike and 5-k run in just over 1 hour and 16 minutes, finishing near the top third and recording what one organizer called "an amazing pace" in the final run, crossing the finish line in a burst of speed.
Afterward, he said it had been all "smooth sailing" and he felt strong throughout the race. He obviously loved the experience and says he now wants to try bigger competitions.
Enrico's father, Gino, a well-known operatic baritone, had driven down from Quebec City the night before the race, after having sung the part of Jean Valjean in Les Miserables. He was so moved by his son's achievement that he said his would be "a tough show" the following night. Enrico's stepfather, former Westmount mayor Peter Trent, was also there to cheer Enrico on, as were a throng of friends and television and newspaper reporters.
His triathlon performance will, no doubt, provide new material for the talks Enrico gives to students about safety. He has visited Selwyn House and other schools as a speaker for Think First, an organization that informs young people about the importance of wearing helmets and seat-belts.
"When brought to face yourself in this manner...you really find out what you are made of, what you can choose to do with your future," says Enrico.
"I chose to make this terrible accident a turning point in my life."
