Bobby Riddle has endured long road of recovery
Posted: 11/27/2011 01:00:00 AM MST
The doctors and nurses who once called Bobby a longshot now call him a "miracle," Rita said.
Bobby badly burned most of his body the day after Thanksgiving 2010. His parents had gone to Laughlin, Nev., to visit Rita's sister for the holiday and Bobby's weekend chore was to get rid of the leaves in the family's yard on 27th Street near Farmington High School.
After gathering leaves into a barrel, Bobby used gasoline to burn them away. It caused an explosion, which set the high school senior on fire and changed his life forever.
"I remember pouring gas into a barrel, it blowing up, me running, my sister tackling me," Bobby said in an interview Wednesday. "I got up and ran a little more, somebody put me out and that's all I remember."
A 10-year-old neighbor was near Bobby when the gas exploded. Bobby pushed the boy out of the way, which likely increased the severity of his injuries. The boy was not harmed.
Bobby was flown to University of New Mexico Hospital in Albuquerque that night. "He won't survive 24 hours" was the first prognosis his family heard. "We don't think he will survive the first surgery," doctors then said. Then they said Bobby would need to spend one year in the hospital, Rita said.
In March,
a little more than three months after the accident, Bobby returned home to Farmington, most of his formal rehabilitation completed. He returned to school and finished his curriculum on schedule. He walked with his classmates at graduation. He's helping out coaching youth sports teams in Farmington. He mentors young children and hunts regularly with his dad.
But despite his success, don't think Bobby didn't go through hell.
A painful recovery
The night of the accident, doctors put a breathing tube in Bobby's trachea and began a six-week emergency sedation because of the excruciating pain that comes with treating massive burns, Rita said.
He started coming to his senses around Christmas time, only to start feeling the skin graft surgeries. Bobby has had 29 skin graft surgeries in the last year, and more are yet to come.
The first surgery Bobby remembers set him into a frenzy, Rita said.
Doctors sliced a large chunk of skin off the top of his right foot and stretched it out to be used on one of his arms. For days after the surgery, if Bobby's hospital bed or foot moved the slightest bit he was screaming.
In between surgeries, Bobby went through intense rehabilitation at the hospital.
"The hardest thing was that first initial try at getting him out of bed after laying there for so long," Rita said. "I remember the tears and the yelling and the screaming."
Bobby had to relearn everything. He couldn't talk, walk, eat, and he had limited mobility in his arms and legs. He also was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and occasionally has nightmares.
But an avid wrestler and football and baseball player all his life, Bobby used his athletic experience to make and achieve goals for himself in recovery.
"I knew that if I gave up in a sport, I wasn't going to get anywhere in that sport," he said. "I made (recovery) a sport. I said If I give up now, I'm not going anywhere but back
Bobby, a senior at the time of the accident, made the unlikely goal of getting back to school and graduating on time. And, to the surprise of doctors, he walked with his class in May at graduation.
Rita said there were several aspects to Bobby's recovery that led to success. Unlike many burn patients, Bobby did not scream when he was on fire, which kept his lungs from being damaged.
Bobby said he knew not to breathe out of his mouth when he was on fire because his father is a retired fire chief for the Carlsbad Fire Department and his older brother is a firefighter.
Bobby also has not had a skin infection and his body didn't reject any of his skin grafts, which commonly happens when treating burn patients, Rita said.
Bobby continues to push himself to get better on his own. When he's watching television, he also completes coloring books to improve his range of motion. His father takes him hunting almost everyday, which helps Bobby improve.
"I can't doesn't exist in this house. That's my attitude," Rick said. "Sometimes he thinks I'm rough on him, but that's how I was raised. I can't means you try harder."
Inspiring and helping others
Rita is a teacher at Naschitte Elementary, where earlier this year a student skipped school and set fire to a barn while playing with matches.
Bobby gave that student a talking-to.
Bobby's story of perseverance is also helping others. He's spoken to church groups about hope and not giving up, and he continues to be a devout Christian.
He also attended two burn clinics in Albuquerque so doctors could learn from his skin. It can be uncomfortable and many patients don't let unknown doctors examine and touch their scars. But as long as it helps other patients, it's OK, Bobby said.
"It doesn't bother him to go in, take his shirt off, and let them look at his scars and touch his skin grafts," Rick said. "The first time doctors see a patient is in the burn unit. To see Bobby and see what they are striving to get to, that's a big deal."
Bobby may be an inspiring coach in Farmington for years to come. He was a good baseball player before the accident and planned to try to continue playing in college.
Now he wants to get into coaching. He helps coach wrestling at Hermosa Middle School and wants to help the Farmington wrestling team this season. He also coaches a youth baseball team.
"I think God's pushing me to coach and be a leader for young kids growing up," Bobby said.
Balancing anger and thanks
Bobby remains scarred from the accident. His looks will continue to improve with upcoming surgeries, which at this point are not necessary for survival but doctors have several planned to improve the appearance of his jaw and face, Rita said.
"Is is still tough, I go through moments where I look at Bobby and I just see Bobby," Rita said. "And then I look at Bobby and I see the scars, and I get angry and I get sad."
For Sabrina, Bobby's older sister, the hardest part is thinking about how the accident continues to complicate his life.
"He should be in college right now," she said. "He should be off having fun with the rest of his class."
Despite frustrations over the long recovery, his family has a tremendous amount of pride in the way Bobby coped with accident.
"For most part I look at Bobby and I see an amazing person who has gone through this horrific accident and has not become bitter and angry," Rita said. "I see a person who has inspired other people."
Bobby has a future in front of him. He will apply to New Mexico Highlands University and New Mexico State University to start college as soon as possible. He continues to be thankful for the outpouring of support he and his family received from the community, especially fellow high school students, since the accident. He also is thankful most people in town don't treat him differently because of his burns.
And after a year of struggle, Bobby realized one important thing about himself that will shape his life forever: He can handle it.
"If the accident could have happened to any of my friends, I'm glad it happened to me," he said. "I don't mean to say this in a bad way, but the way (my friends) act compared to the way I act, I put everything positive."
AFTER ALL HE WENT THRU THIS YEAR .... HE DIED TODAY!!!! =( =( =(
