- T
Sunday, April 14th brought a call no one expects or would want to receive - Alex fell climbing in Moab. He survived, and that's all we knew. Our parents immediately booked a flight to go be by his side.
Alex fell the day before ~20 feet in Indian Creek, UT while starting up a climb. He had just pulled into the route when he lost his footing, causing him to stumble back onto the ledge where the climb began. Unfortunately, the ledge dropped off to a 15-foot cliff and he wasn't able to catch himself before stepping back off the edge.
During the rescue, his friends were incredibly lucky to come across a Search and Rescue medic, two EMTs, a satellite phone, and another 30 climbers and personnel to help get Alex out. After four hours of hard work and patience, they were able to get him airlifted by helicopter to Saint Mary's hospital in Grand Junction, CO. Huge thank you to everyone who helped with his extraction. we still can't believe how lucky his friends were to come across such a huge group of supportive climbers during such a scary time.
Alex spent about a week in the ICU, one week in the neuro unit, and a week at the rehabilitation portion of the hospital, being treated for a handful of injuries -- a C5 fracture and T8-T11 fractures in his vertebrae (neck and mid back), 11 broken ribs, broken left scapula, two broken fingers, and a chipped toe, and a traumatic brain injury. He doesn't remember the accident, which is pretty normal.
Fast forward to today - he is doing incredibly well. He has been discharged and continues therapy for his various injuries. While holding a conversation for 20 minutes used to be exhausting due to the brain injury, he's able to chat for much longer now.
Alex is definitely looking at a long road ahead, but it is remarkable to see how far he has come in the last month. It's still baby steps, but we've decided to focus on the positives of each day, and each day is better than the last!
With that being said, medical bills and Alex's time off of work are beginning to add up - before insurance, it is looking like $300K+ before insurance. He has said over and over how lucky he feels to have had so many people’s love and support through all of this, so if you are able to donate even a little bit, we’re sure he would be grateful beyond measure. If there are any funds left over after everything is said and done, Alex plans to donate the excess to the Access Fund, which is a national climber advocacy group.
Love, The Haegers
Alex fell the day before ~20 feet in Indian Creek, UT while starting up a climb. He had just pulled into the route when he lost his footing, causing him to stumble back onto the ledge where the climb began. Unfortunately, the ledge dropped off to a 15-foot cliff and he wasn't able to catch himself before stepping back off the edge.
During the rescue, his friends were incredibly lucky to come across a Search and Rescue medic, two EMTs, a satellite phone, and another 30 climbers and personnel to help get Alex out. After four hours of hard work and patience, they were able to get him airlifted by helicopter to Saint Mary's hospital in Grand Junction, CO. Huge thank you to everyone who helped with his extraction. we still can't believe how lucky his friends were to come across such a huge group of supportive climbers during such a scary time.
Alex spent about a week in the ICU, one week in the neuro unit, and a week at the rehabilitation portion of the hospital, being treated for a handful of injuries -- a C5 fracture and T8-T11 fractures in his vertebrae (neck and mid back), 11 broken ribs, broken left scapula, two broken fingers, and a chipped toe, and a traumatic brain injury. He doesn't remember the accident, which is pretty normal.
Fast forward to today - he is doing incredibly well. He has been discharged and continues therapy for his various injuries. While holding a conversation for 20 minutes used to be exhausting due to the brain injury, he's able to chat for much longer now.
Alex is definitely looking at a long road ahead, but it is remarkable to see how far he has come in the last month. It's still baby steps, but we've decided to focus on the positives of each day, and each day is better than the last!
With that being said, medical bills and Alex's time off of work are beginning to add up - before insurance, it is looking like $300K+ before insurance. He has said over and over how lucky he feels to have had so many people’s love and support through all of this, so if you are able to donate even a little bit, we’re sure he would be grateful beyond measure. If there are any funds left over after everything is said and done, Alex plans to donate the excess to the Access Fund, which is a national climber advocacy group.
Love, The Haegers