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Show S-c- i v n Cilia ftmlnnn 1 1 r 'r r y ( Salt Lake City, Utah Vol. 229, No. 102 r r - 7 Wednesday Morning July 'T Davis County 'T "T 11, 1984 The quadriplegic who wont quit The first time I met Gary Griffin he had just climbed a 300-fomountain, no small feat for a quadriplegic. It wasn't the climb ot that most of us envision push- ing, and sometimes pulling himself, he made his way up the incline behind the University of Utah Medical Center. He eventually reached the top after two hours and 10 minutes. Many people were impressed with his determination, but there seemed a larger story in Garys life something inspiring, worth telling. Gary isn't a superstar or a celebrity, except to himself ("Tm a superquad!") and those close to him. But he is an ordinary human being who was suddenly faced with paralysis forced to realize he would never swim, run, jump or even walk normally again. This story is for all the people who have faced similar tragedies and coped with them. him, because when he walked into the Nevada State Park that day, he never lieve his pain. He would yell and scream at the nurses and the doctors who would try to come in, Ms. Tobin suspected that he would be taken out never to walk unaidby ambulance ed again. It was hot, and we got there early, said Gary. I remember it was, oh, about 91 degrees at 11 a.m. May 1, 1976. 1 paid 41 to get in. It got hotter and hotter, and I fell asleep in the sun. When I woke up, I was so hot . . .and I saw this tree overlooking the water. It looked like others had walked on it; it was clipped off on the top. So I climbed the tree and looked down. It was a thrill, but I slipped and didnt get enough push off to go over the dropoff. I hit the edge and then I felt myself floating down . . . I saw stars, and then realized that I couldnt kick my legs. They were numb. That was when I said goodbye world. It wasnt over for Gary yet, howevfisherman saw er, as a Gary and pulled him out by the hair of his head. He saved his life, said Caroline Tobin, Garys mother. Gary said he remembers almost everything about the accident, including the ambulance ride to St. Marys Hospital in Reno. The mental and physical pain started then, according to Gary, as he was faced with the fact he would never walk, or possibly use any part of his body from the torso down again. Gary was always extremely muscular. And active, he was always doing something, said Ms. Tobin. Then all of the. sudden he could do none of the stuff he had been doing before. How could he expect to deal with it? He They returned to Utah where Gary was admitted into the University of Utah Medical Center, about to face the most difficult years of his life. At the Nevada hospital, Gary said they turned him into a morphine junkie. Morphine, Demerol, and Valium were supplied with no questions asked. It got so bad, that at the U, I would scream at the nurses to bring me my See Page 4, Column 1 said. She soon decided that she had to return to her job in Utah, and told the doctors she was going to take Gary with her. They said, no way, you cant do it, and I said watch me and the next day I had ambulances lined up on both ends and Gary and I were on the plane. le By Natalie Mayfield Tribune Staff Writer Gary Griffin, 27, only had 20 years of his life to walk and run a very short time considering the average life span for a man is 65 years. He has been a quadriplegic since the age of 20, when he dived 35 feet into 36 feet of water at a Nevada State Park. His spinal cord is severed, and according to Garys doctor, Pedro Escobar, a staff physiatrist, and assistant professor of the residency program at the University of Utah Medical Center, you cant expect him to walk again. But Gary is determined to regain some of his body movement and strength, and so he works out, walking with a walker and exercising his muscles. The exhaustion he feels is obvious, but so is the determination. Gary remembers the day of the accident well. He retold the story, citing small details that most of us tend to forget The details are important to 4 ; . ? v. didnt know how. They put Gary into a striker (a metal structure that encases the entire body), and placed pnrgs into his head. They turned him every two hours. Gary said he remembers the excruciating pain. It was the worst pain Ive ever felt. Garys mother, who was living in Utah at the time, had to stay in Nevada to take care of Gary. He wouldnt let anyone else into the room but her, and she was required to do all his nursing. I spent 24 hours a day in there, feeding him and trying to re- - Gary Griffin, a quadriplegic, give? victory salute as his mother, Caroline Tobin, right, and nurse, Sally Ginsberg, watch. ,;k GIVES Pizza H $ & Family Fun YOU I ft K IOI 4 FOR VO (JR FOOD DOLLAR ism a b.i! 1 ? h hi , it r n r .4 5-- n i J t M n rj 1 I-- rn f3 F. i$ H ' :.3 i ti M 'L H ti , : 1 V. 1 h i PP k n M i'J-(: 1 Any Large One Topping 1 ts R U m n y n Pfel Q nr wi ' fa T nn r t below ' ' i. (13.90 '&222SJ& it If' Js 'sa&y Value) R FREE ICE CREAM CONE Lif. pi nn n FfS clKStymber r ,mtA ANY LARGE ONE TOPPING pizza s5" ;; rT rT" w ' - tum tw t s. ii,A L-- .... wLt Expires July 31, 1984 4 prinriniinnnnoni Plxia . & Family Fan ttKKTnnnnMruiTuuifl PHONE 298-864- 6 Woods Cross Exit - y , ti i-- t r; 559 West 2600 South (1 H S 4 J I lJ i fc Bountiful Block East of Kmart in Colonial Square) t u r iii B Vli i mm Ilf ill v ! ttt I i - II ? i. 1. ?f Jl . 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