G'Day Guys, I've just returned from visiting Brian at the Austin hospital's spinal unit, Ward 3 North. As you could imagine, I was a little trepiditious as I had no idea what to expect, and never having met Brian before wasn't sure whether he'd be in any mood to be visited by a stranger, but all my fears were in vain, Brian welcomed me and I had a great time talking to him and his mate Peter, (another old bike racer) and Brian's lovely wife Evelyn.
As you can see in the pic, Brian is still in a pretty bad way, I displayed my stupidity/insensitivity by asking him if he was going to be able to walk again, and he told me that at the moment he doesn't know, he can't wiggle his toes but he can feel it if someone touches his toes, so that's a good sign. Peter told me that Brian had died and been revived twice , and no-one had really expected him to survive.
I was totally in awe of Brian, he spoke "matter of factually" and didn't avoid any questions that I probably shouldn't have asked him. Evelyn showed him the pictures of his crash for the first time while I was there, and I looked at his face while he was looking at them, and he didn't show any real emotion at all, apart from basically talking us all through what happened as we looked at the pics. From what I can understand he rode up a concrete verge on the edge of the track, the outfit became slightly airborne, then the nose dipped down and the whole thing somersaulted.
The series of pics were horrific to me, as the bike went over, Paul, the swinger, was thrown clear, but Brian pretty much stayed inside it as it landed on him, and there were a couple of pics of the outfit slamming into Brian as they were propelled forwards into a wall. Next time I visit Brian I'll ask Evelyn if she'll email them to me so I can post them here.
Anyway, Brian will be in hospital here for at least another month until they move him closer to his home near Leeton, but has access to email, so I'm sure he'd appreciate some emails from you all, (I don't have it at hand, but if you check his profile, it should be there) just don't expect quick replies, as he's only got limited use of his arms and hands, and he's a bit drowsy with all the drugs they're pumping into him. He said to say thanks to everyone here, and was surprised when I told him that that so many people from all around the world were so concerned about him.
My visit to the spinal unit really brought home the reality what can be the outcome of a serious bike crash, Brian's room had two or three other patients with similar injuries, and I have to say I was shocked when I saw these poor folks strapped into their specially made chairs, staring into space, and suffering quietly. I'm riding my Triumph 200 miles to visit my parents for Christmas tomorrow, and after my experience today I'm going to be extra careful. I hope everyone here will be just as careful over the holidays, we're all vaguely aware of the dangers of riding motorcycles, but today my focus on what could happen was seriously sharpened. Take it easy out there guys, Brian's a fighter and will get thru this, but I wouldn't wish this on anyone. Cheers, Terry.
