{"id":18181,"date":"2018-08-27T14:25:01","date_gmt":"2018-08-27T20:25:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/?p=18181"},"modified":"2022-11-16T10:36:34","modified_gmt":"2022-11-16T17:36:34","slug":"motorcycle-crash-leaves-life-in-doubt","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/motorcycle-crash-leaves-life-in-doubt\/","title":{"rendered":"Motorcycle crash leaves life in doubt"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Stephanie Adams always worried about the dangers of her husband\u2019s commute on his motorcycle, so he was very good at letting her know where he was and when to expect him. On Aug. 9, 2016, when Jesse didn\u2019t arrive home at his usual time, Stephanie looked to her iPhone to track his location.<\/p>\n

\"Stephanie
Stephanie and Jesse Adams. Photo courtesy of the Adams family.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cI thought he might have broken down. I figured he was trying to fix it, so at any minute he\u2019d start moving again,\u201d Adams recalled. \u201cThat\u2019s the way I think \u2014 always glass half full.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her phone showed that Jesse was at the intersection of Weld County roads 13 and 34, about 10 miles from their home in Firestone, Colorado. But his motorcycle wasn\u2019t moving. She got in the car and headed that way to help him in case the bike had broken down.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I topped the hill to the intersection, all I saw was the state patrol and lights,\u201d Stephanie said. \u201cAs I got closer to the accident, I saw his bike on the side of the road, and it was just mangled. I kept looking for him, thinking he was going to be standing there, dusting himself off.\u201d<\/p>\n

But he wasn\u2019t.<\/p>\n

First responders told Stephanie they\u2019d taken Jesse to UCHealth Medical Center of the Rockies, a Level II trauma center, in Loveland.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey could have told me he was in Timbuktu because at that point, my mind just shut down,\u201d Stephanie said.<\/p>\n

She then called a friend \u2014 the kind of friend you know will come no matter what \u2014 and asked to be picked up and taken to the hospital.<\/p>\n

Where miracles happen<\/strong><\/h3>\n

\u201cShe took me to MCR, and that\u2019s where the miracles started happening,\u201d Stephanie said.<\/p>\n

As she walked through the emergency room doors, she was met by Mark Stiger, a hospital social worker. Stiger escorted Stephanie to a private waiting room. He never left her side.<\/p>\n

\u201cMark was right there making sure I had support,\u201d she said. \u201cHe made sure I was never alone, and that I had everything I needed.\u201d<\/p>\n

As emergency and trauma surgeon Dr. Steven Dubs<\/a> and his team worked to save Jesse\u2019s life, friends and family started to arrive at the hospital.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy best friend must have made phone calls, because people started showing up \u2014 just to sit with me,\u201d Stephanie said.<\/p>\n

The extent of the injuries<\/strong><\/h3>\n
\"Stephanie
Stephanie and Jesse Adams.\u00a0Photo courtesy of the Adams family.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Fortunately, Jesse was wearing his helmet and armor riding jacket when the accident happened. He suffered no brain damage, and he was conscious on the way to the hospital, according to first responders.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, when the pickup truck blew though the stop sign, it T-boned Jesse. The motorcycle landed 59 feet from the point of impact, and Jesse propelled another 27 feet beyond that, into a field. His left side was crushed, and doctors needed to stop the bleeding.<\/p>\n

Jesse had lost half his blood volume, but Dubs was able to repack his blood and return it via transfusion. He also removed Jesse\u2019s damaged spleen.<\/p>\n

Doctors were dealing with much more though, including more than a dozen broken ribs that had punctured Jesse\u2019s left lung; a broken sternum, pelvis and collarbone; spinal fractures, a bruised kidney and a crushed left ankle.<\/p>\n

Nurses provided Adams with continuous updates throughout that first surgery, she said. And once Jesse was stable, orthopedic trauma surgeon Dr. Robert Baer<\/a> began working on the ankle.<\/p>\n

\u201cI remember Dr. Baer telling us about all the broken bones,\u201d Adams said. \u201cHe looked at me and said, \u2018I don\u2019t know if we can save his foot.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Faith and prayer<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Stephanie\u2019s son, Justin, lives several hours away, in Julesburg, Colorado, and headed to MCR immediately after she called with news of the accident. By the time he arrived, Jesse was in surgery.<\/p>\n

\u201cI remember the first thing I said to Justin was, \u2018It\u2019s really bad,\u2019\u201d Stephanie recalled. \u201cDr. Baer was totally up front and honest with us, and we were praying that (amputation) would be a decision we could make with Jesse and not a decision we had to make for him.\u201d<\/p>\n

When Jesse got out of surgery and was transferred to the intensive care unit, a nurse prepped Stephanie and Justin for what they would see next.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen Justin and I walked in there, it was like I couldn\u2019t believe I was in this place. You see it on TV, but it took my breath away to see how bad of shape he was in and how many tubes he was connected to,\u201d she said. \u201cI looked at Justin and asked, \u2018How do people without faith do this, without knowing a God in heaven that will carry you through?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

That night, and the many nights to follow, friends and family sent songs to Stephanie via her phone to help lift her faith and spirit. It helped.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe spent that night in the ICU with Jesse,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd this one song reminded me that no matter how this turns out, God is still God. He\u2019ll still be on his throne. No matter what happens, life will still go on. I had to give it over to Him.\u201d<\/p>\n

Later, Adams learned that one of Jesse\u2019s ER nurses had recognized him when he arrived, and she too stepped out for a few seconds to pray for him.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was things like that \u2014 the ER nurse that day \u2014 that kept happening,\u201d she said. \u201cWe kept getting confirmation over and over from God saying, \u2018I got this.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Uncertainty<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Adams and Justin stayed with Jesse in the ICU around the clock for the next several days.<\/p>\n

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An untold story never heals: Life after the ICU<\/strong><\/p>\n

To help patients and their families adjust to life once they leave the hospital, UCHealth welcomes them to its ICU survivor support group.<\/p>\n