December 6 X-Ray of Sean's Spine

Here you can see the third thoracic vertabrae crushed down at an angle that forces the back forward. If this angle increases due to further compression of the fractured vertabrae over the next week or so, then surgery will be required to straighten and stabalize the spine.

I will have another x-ray on December 20th to determine the angle of compression and then decide next steps. If surgery is required, I would be inclined to have that done by Dr. Donald Corenman, the surgeon from the world-renowed Steadman-Hawkins Clinic in Vail. If surgery is not required, it will be a matter of wearing the brace for two more months and then undergoing some physical therapy. At any rate, I am grateful that there is no neurologoical damage and that I can function fairly well right now. I'm eager to heal and resume my shooting and traveling schedule early next year!

Some background on the accident: I took Linette and the kids to Beaver Creek the afternoon of November 27th for three days of RandR before I was scheduled to fly to Sudan and shoot in Darfur beginning December 3rd. It snowed all that night, and early the next morning I snuck out of the room and went for a run through the fresh, still-falling snow.

There I was just running along and WHAM! I was on my back. I had slipped on some hidden ice under the fresh snow and fallen square on my back. With a flash of hot white light when I hit, I knew I had broken something. The wind was knocked out of me and try as I might, just couldn't get up. So there I lay, in the middle of the road, with snow falling on me as I looked skyward, groaning with a fairly intense pain.

Thankfully, two workers from GE Johnson Construction Company saw that I wasn't getting up (they had just arrived at their worksite along the river in Avon) and helped me into their truck and took me to the Sheraton, where we were staying. I hobbled up to our room and collapsed on the bed, telling Linette that I was hurt and needed help.

The Hotel called 911 and I made a humbling trip to Vail Valley Medical Center in the ambulance. Once in the ER, they took x-rays and informed me I had suffered a severe vertabrae fracture. So I called Linette on my cell, gave her the news, and thus began my treatment in Vail.

I received excellent care from everyone involved in my case in Vail. After several days they let me go to the Jackson's home in Edwards, where I rested a little more before coming home a few days ago. I am now awaiting the next x-ray and trying to keep on top of the work I can do. Linette, my family and all our friends have been so good in helping us through this. Thanks everyone for your prayers and your concern. I am optimistic that I will make a full recovery--even if I must have spinal surgery--and I am blessed that things were not worse.