On the Road to Recovery
Donation protected
On Saturday, November 2nd; my goal was to set a new personal best time at Ironman Florida. Unfortunately, I was rushed to the hospital for immediate surgery during the bike portion of the full distance triathlon. I later found out that I had broken my left proximal femur in a horrific crash.
The surgery went well, a left cephalo-medullary nail was placed to fix the broken hip and a rod extending from my hip to my knee was placed to support my broken femur. The surgeons and nurses at Bay Medical Sacred Heart in Panama City; Florida were extremely caring and kept me in the hospital until Tuesday, November 5th. I was finally given the all clear to go back home to Greenville.
I ran 146 hours 22min, cycled 252 hours and swam 71 hours in preparation for this race.
With all that time invested, my race ended on the 2nd mile of the bike course. An athlete clipped my wheel and I landed on an exposed manhole cover causing me to not finish the race. As upset as I was during the ambulance ride to the E.R, I knew that it could have been a lot worse. My visor was cracked in half, saving me from any head trauma or facial injury in which I am so thankful for. I knew from the moment I landed that my leg was broken. I’ve never fallen from my bike, the feeling of not being able to get up under my own strength I will never forget. My leg was visibly deformed and all I could think about was if I could ever walk again.
One month into the long recovery process and still not being able to walk, drive, or go to work; my medical bills started to creep into my mailbox from the most humbling and painful experience of my life.
I would like to ask for any help or support on my journey to recovery so I can fully focus on getting back to what I love and reduce the financial burden of going through a major surgery. My family, friends and beautiful girlfriend have all chipped in to make sure I have everything physically and mentally I need for a speedy recovery.
The surgery went well, a left cephalo-medullary nail was placed to fix the broken hip and a rod extending from my hip to my knee was placed to support my broken femur. The surgeons and nurses at Bay Medical Sacred Heart in Panama City; Florida were extremely caring and kept me in the hospital until Tuesday, November 5th. I was finally given the all clear to go back home to Greenville.
I ran 146 hours 22min, cycled 252 hours and swam 71 hours in preparation for this race.
With all that time invested, my race ended on the 2nd mile of the bike course. An athlete clipped my wheel and I landed on an exposed manhole cover causing me to not finish the race. As upset as I was during the ambulance ride to the E.R, I knew that it could have been a lot worse. My visor was cracked in half, saving me from any head trauma or facial injury in which I am so thankful for. I knew from the moment I landed that my leg was broken. I’ve never fallen from my bike, the feeling of not being able to get up under my own strength I will never forget. My leg was visibly deformed and all I could think about was if I could ever walk again.
One month into the long recovery process and still not being able to walk, drive, or go to work; my medical bills started to creep into my mailbox from the most humbling and painful experience of my life.
I would like to ask for any help or support on my journey to recovery so I can fully focus on getting back to what I love and reduce the financial burden of going through a major surgery. My family, friends and beautiful girlfriend have all chipped in to make sure I have everything physically and mentally I need for a speedy recovery.
Organizer
Kenny Nunez
Organizer
Greenville, SC