History Repeats Itself

 

When trauma of this nature happens to a family involved in bike racing, all the memories and trauma from the past comes back to our thoughts to help us navigate the and understand the process…Been there done that. 

Brian’s daughter Cheyenne was once on a ride in Vista, California, her first solo training ride (Also her last solo training ride.) She was being followed by Jean on Life 360. Jean noticed that she had been in the same spot for 45 minutes and had a bad feeling so she was on her way out the door to see why. The phone rang, “Hello this is…. I am a paramedic… Cheyenne has been in a little accident.” Cheyenne had crashed in a ditch.

In 1982 Brian and Jean were riding his bicycle along Palomar Airport Road towards San Marcos, Ca. When he was struck by a roach coach (food truck.) Brian always rode behind and to the outside of his family so that if anything would happen it would be him. This day Jean heard a bang and watched Brian as if in slow motion pass her quickly wide eyed. Brian landed in the ditch in front of her. He was out cold. He didn’t walk up until 7am the next morning. The doctors said he did not break any bones in the crash but he did receive 5 pints of blood from the bruise that went from the bottom of his rib cage to his pubic bone and wrapped around his torso. He had landed on his backside permanently flattening his left glutinous Maximus. 

Ten months later in 1983 Brian crashed on Encino Veledrome. An entire pack of 19 riders went down. I sat in the infield and watched it happen. I remember laying on our blanket in the infield looking up to the stars in shock. He had skidded on his face, chipped a tooth, grazed his nose, and cut his upper and lower lip. Jean received a call from the doctor at the hospital he said “Brian has been in a crash, he is ok you can take him home but if he moves his head the wrong way it could kill him.” With this thought in mind Jean began the 3 hour drive at 11PM to pick Brian, Alan and Tracey up. 

So when we walk into a hospital we have done this before. We are experienced… We know what we need…