While the fall season has become a time for fashionable scarves and pumpkin-spiced lattes, when I was a kid, I always hated it. The waiting was unbearable. A watched sky rarely seems to snow.
When it did, it was on.
Sledding season, nothing was better. Sprinting to the top of the large hill outside of our elementary school, sleds and friends in tow. The preparation, the getting situated, teetering over the edge and then finally, hurtling down over the powder.
There were also, of course, the collisions. In some ways, running into each other was half the point. It wasn’t malicious. It was fun. We’d try to be careful, but really it was a lot like “Lord of the Flies” on sleds with mittens.
Dayvin Lee, now 12, was excited to go on a sledding field trip with his school last January.
Coincidentally, just weeks earlier Lauri had heard a warning on the radio that was focused on the importance of wearing a helmet while sledding.
During the field trip, Dayvin and another child accidentally collided and knocked heads. The other child ended up with a goose egg. Dayvin wasn’t as lucky. He suffered a depressed skull fracture and a concussion.
Dayvin was taken to Regions Hospital, and from there he was transferred to Gillette. Lauri and her husband rushed to the hospital.
The right side of Dayvin’s forehead was indented, and the depression was putting pressure on his brain. During the surgery, Kim and his team elevated the depression and the surgery was a success.
Every brain injury is different, but what seems to be consistent is that the recovery from them can be a laborious and frustrating process.
A CT scan of Dayvin's skull before (right) and after (left) surgery.
Dayvin was frustrated by some of the limitations, but overall, Lauri says he’s getting back to the life he had before.
For Kim, he’s confident that the message will begin to get through.
This blog was originally posted in January of 2018. Lauri gave us an update on Dayvin's progress.
"I hope Dayvin's accident and story helps get the message across about the importance of wearing a helmet while sledding. We still think about the accident nearly every day or are reminded by seeing the scar from his injury. It had a profound effect on us that we are still working through. Otherwise, though, all is well. Dayvin recently was able to start playing basketball and he's really been enjoying it. We are so glad we found this awesome helmet made by Gamebreaker. I highly recommend it to anyone that is searching for a good soft helmet! It’s passed several vigorous safety tests and looks appealing. Thanks again for reading our story. I hope it's helpful."
Dayvin, back on the court.