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It started out as a normal day on the slopes for Brett Graham. He was snowboarding with his brother, Greg, the skier. On his last run, he was determined to go off a 20-foot jump one more time. His brother watched in disbelief as he landed headfirst and skidded 200 yards down the slope. He wasn't wearing a helmet. Greg rushed to his aid and called for rescue workers. Brett was taken by helicopter to the nearest trauma hospital. His brain was bleeding and swollen. On the Glasgow Coma Scale of 3 to 15, Brett scored a 4 - just one number away from being brain dead.
Three weeks after his accident, he was transferred to Casa Colina Hospital. Time is precious with brain injuries. Despite his poor condition and a fever, therapy began right away - much to his mother's dismay. She kept a calendar of each day's milestones, so the entire family could focus on the positive. After six weeks, Brett was doing everything his doctors anticipated would take him six months. He was able to get dressed and groom himself before his girlfriend, Robin, stopped by on Valentine's Day.
When he was discharged from the hospital, his doctors and therapists felt certain he would progress even more at Casa Colina's Transitional Living Center where he would receive six hours of therapy each day. Ten months after the accident, Brett received his license to drive and re-enrolled in school. He even went snowboarding on the anniversary of his accident - only this time with protective headgear. Today, he and Robin are happily married and expecting their first child.
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