The author recounts experiencing a life-changing moment at age 19 when he broke his neck during a wrestling match. He was paralyzed and faced with uncertain prospects for his future. After a long surgery involving a bone graft and titanium wiring in his neck, he faced a difficult recovery period. However, he was determined not to let his injury define him and took the opportunity to learn from the experience and change his outlook on life. The incident ultimately altered the trajectory of his life.

1. C5 | DODGE COUNTY INDEPENDENT | THURSDAY, JUNE 23, 2016
I learned at a young age how
things can change in a heartbeat.
It’s what we do after that life
changing moment that can de-
termine your destiny. Nothing
grows in the feedbag. It con-
tains seed from yesterday’s har-
vest. NOW… what you do with
those seeds is what determines
tomorrow’s menu.
At 19 years of age I was back
home from a very mediocre first
year of college at the University
of Wisconsin. The first semester
of college found me away from
home and far from the grip of
very strict and almost psychic
parents. They always seemed
to know every one of my secrets
and lies even as I was concoct-
ing the stories. But that’s for
another column and another day.
My first year of college I ma-
jored in drinking and foosball. I
actually did really well in those
subjects and if “table soccer”
would have been an Olympic
sport, I would have made that
team. My other grades, how-
ever, were a bit bent. Bordering
more on fractured, actually.
After the first semester grades
came out I was advised to
change my major or complete-
ly pay for my own education.
They reminded me that profes-
sional foosball players don’t
make enough to support a fam-
ily. I buckled down.
Where was I? Oh… yeah…
Life changing moments. With
most of our high school graduat-
ing class home for the summer,
reunions were the popular thing
to do. A time to gather, tell our
war stories from our respective
colleges, lie about how well we
did and boast about our epic
freshman endeavors.
A little foolishness and a lot of
testosterone led to a WWE wres-
tling match in the apartment of a
good friend. Basketball players
taking on a new sport of wres-
tling. Play at your own risk. I
had never learned what a “pile
driver” was until that night. I
experienced it up close and per-
sonal, in an upside down posi-
tion, screaming like a mad man.
The friend from Marquette
University had me in the clutch-
es of my very first pile driver and
as he “piled the driver,” I tried
to tuck my head. I guess now,
looking back on it, I should have
been more experienced in the
move or in the avoidance of said
move. My neck DID bend, but
the angle of the tuck slammed
my face into my own chest and
I experienced my “change in a
heartbeat.”
Everything went into slow
motion and then faded to black.
I had a floating sensation and felt
as if I had floated up out of my
body that was lying lifeless on
the ground. “Well,” I thought.
“this can’t be good.”
To make a long story very
short, I had broken my neck.
Back in those days (ancient of
days according to my children),
not much had been done with
spinal injuries. All I know is
that life moved very fast in a
very uncomfortable direction. I
had a previous neck injury that
had been misdiagnosed and as a
result, the “ondontoid process”
on the second vertebrae was not
only shattered, but had com-
pletely disintegrated.
I guess that can happen from
being misinformed about pile
driving. As a result, the first
vertebrae had slipped down and
the second vertebrae had slipped
sideways. I guess the doctor
was more expressive when he
looked at my parents and me,
and said, “It’s a mess.”
I had broken my neck in what
was termed, a hangman’s break,
but I was still alive. Not mov-
ing, but still, very much alive.
It was at this point. At this life
changing fork in the road that
I had some decisions to make.
Decisions that affected my des-
tiny.
I was lying paralyzed with a
broken neck and I was out of op-
tions. It was a time where my
entire life hung in the balance in
the hands of others. And for a
foosball champion who liked to
control his own destiny, it was a
nightmare.
So. I was in Froedhert Hos-
pital in Milwaukee. I was five
miles from the hospital I was
born in and was wondering
what the chances were that I
would both be born and would
die within that same proximity.
I was paralyzed from the neck
down and the only feeling I had
was the excruciating nerve pain
in my head. I didn’t realize
how many ‘live’ nerve endings
I had there until they all started
screaming and stinging me at
one time. If a fan would blow
just one strand of hair, it was as
if there were thousands of hot
needles penetrating my scalp.
Excuse me if you are eating
while I am being descriptive.
I’ll try to tone it down. The doc-
tor kept reminding me of how
lucky I was. From my perspec-
tive, I didn’t feel as fortunate
as he was describing. The plan
was quick and did not provide
much time for reflection.
The surgeon was a good man
but had only done nine of these
procedures in his lifetime. The
plan was to take bone from my
hip and graft it into the neck.
Along with the graft, there
would be titanium wire added
for stability. I would be in a cir-
cle bed for six weeks followed
by a Minerva cast for 8 weeks.
It was Monday, June 9, 1975
and I was going under the knife
for a 22 hour operation. I was
19 years old and it seemed as if
my life was over. The hammer
came down on the rock of my
future and crushed to powder
every dream, every expectation,
and every plan.
This was certainly not how I
expected to begin my summer
vacation, although I’d have
lots to write about in September
when the professor asked for an
essay concerning my summer
adventures.
I have always been someone
who, when you tell me what
I can’t do, I will go out of my
way to show you what I ‘can’
do. To make a long story very
short, it was the longest sum-
mer of my life and yes, it altered
everything from that point going
forward.
I did all the clichés. I puck-
ered when I drank the life-lem-
onade I made. I quit wasting my
time trying to open locked doors
and started climbing in and out
of windows. I took lots of pic-
tures when I felt speechless. I
got all dressed up and actually
went somewhere. And finally,
I was very careful in making
wishes.
Live reflections from your managing editor
Defining Moments
This is the photo from the original 1975 X-ray
showing the titanium wire that holds and helps
control the rotation in my neck
Federal explosives regulations
promulgated by the Bureau of
Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and
Explosives (ATF) define two
general categories of fireworks
sold in the United States: “dis-
play fireworks” and “consumer
fireworks.”
Display fireworks are the
large fireworks used in shows,
generally under the supervision
of a trained pyrotechnician. The
regulations at 27 CFR, Part 555,
require that any person engag-
ing in the business of import-
ing, manufacturing, dealing in,
or otherwise receiving display
fireworks must first obtain a
Federal explosives license or
permit from ATF for the specific
activity.
Consumer fireworks are the
small fireworks usually sold at
stands around the Fourth of July
holiday. ATF does not regulate
the importation, distribution,
or storage of completed con-
sumer fireworks, but other Fed-
eral, State, and local agencies do
regulate these items to a varying
degree. Because consumer fire-
works contain pyrotechnic com-
positions classified by ATF as
explosive materials, the manu-
facturing of consumer fireworks
requires a Federal explosives li-
cense from ATF.
Tables of Distances for Fire-
works
The Tables of Distanc-
es and related informa-
tion at 27 CFR, Sections
555.221 through 555.224,
list the required distances:
• For display fireworks, py-
rotechnic compositions,
and explosive materials
used in assembling fire-
works or articles pyro-
technic;
• Between fireworks pro-
cess buildings and other
specified areas;
• Between fireworks pro-
cess buildings and be-
tween fireworks process
and fireworks non-pro-
cess buildings; and
• For the storage of display
fireworks except bulk sa-
lutes.
Illegal Explosives
Illegal explosives associated
with the fireworks season are
inherently dangerous because
of their composition and unpre-
dictability. Homemade explo-
sives can pose a particular risk
for injury because the people
making them often lack knowl-
edge and experience in manu-
facturing fireworks. Most law
enforcement agencies consider
devices such as M-80s, M-100s,
quarter sticks, cherry bombs, sil-
ver salutes, etc., to be illegal be-
cause they exceed the Consumer
Product Safety Commission’s
(CPSC) limits for consumer
fireworks, in addition to being
banned by many States.
These devices meet no safety
standards and often have a coat-
ing of dangerous explosive dust.
Friction, heat, or being bumped
can cause these devices to deto-
nate. The U.S. Department of
Transportation has classed these
items as “forbidden explosives”
because they have not been sub-
mitted for appropriate testing
and evaluation.
Some indicators that a de-
vice may be an illegal explo-
sive are:
• It resembles a roll of
coins with a fuse.
• It consists of a cardboard
tube or oddly shaped item
wrapped in brown paper
and filled with an explo-
sive material.
• It is red, silver, or brown
in color
• It may be 1 to 6 inches
long and up to an inch or
more in diameter.
• It is sold on the street or
out of the back of some-
one’s vehicle.
Each year ATF investigates
explosives accidents involving
the manufacture of illegal ex-
plosives devices such as these.
These accidents often involve
serious injury or death and ex-
tensive damage to property. ATF
asks that the public report the
manufacture or sale of illegal
fireworks or explosive devices
to local law enforcement or by
calling the toll-free ATF hotline
at 1-888-ATF-BOMB (1-888-
283-2662).
Fireworks
safety and
security
By MARK DELAP
DCI Managing Editor
Many people think that explo-
sions began with the big bang,
but to avoid a confrontation
between creationists and evo-
lutionists, the first explosion I
want to talk about is the man-
made kind. So, whether you
are from either of those camps,
light a sparkler, sit back and
let’s enjoy this holiday with all
the fanfare that it was meant to
hold. Sorry England. That was
a joke. Pip pip and Lighten up.
Although the Star Spangled
Banner was written to bombs
bursting in air, that particular
fireworks shoe was not staged
or sponsored. It also wasn’t the
birthplace of what we know and
love today as “fireworks.”
The origins of fireworks began
as early as 200 B.C. although
nobody knows for sure, because
they are all dead. And I know,
as soon as I start throwing out
dates, someone will come out of
the woodwork and claim to have
a different story and document-
ed proof.
Well, this is my story and I’m
stickin’ to it. Back to 200 B.C.
in China, where the exorcists
would cook bamboo and when it
got hot enough, the air pockets
within the matured plant would
explode. This was supposed to
scare off evil spirits, but I am
sure it made quick work of nos-
ey neighbors and pesky relatives
as well.
This was the fireworks show
for many hundreds of years,
and when Uncle Lenny was de-
livered, I assume the crowds
would be heard to say, “ooooh.
Ahhhh. Ting tang, walla walla
bing bang.”
It wasn’t until hundreds of
years after the crucifixion that
Chinese chemists must have
been dealing with bigger spirits
because they felt a need to cre-
ate louder bangs for their buck.
We know that has gotten out of
hand with the new Ghostbusters
movie.
Using that same bamboo that
would give off a firecracker ef-
fect, the nutty professors in
China decided to add potassi-
um nitrate which was a kitchen
seasoning – I guess because if
it didn’t scare away the spirits,
you could invite them to din-
ner. They then added charcoal,
sulfur and various other ingre-
dients, not knowing that they
were creating an early form of
gunpowder.
I don’t know if it chased big-
ger spirits, but ten to one odds,
Grandpa lost a big toe or two.
Loud blasts yielded the first fire-
works and coincidentally medi-
cal practices for ears, eyes, nose
and throat became very popular.
As the military will do, it
eventually stepped in and decid-
ed that fleeing spirits and frivoli-
ty of watching Chinese relatives
limping and maimed could lead
to more satisfying uses. Such as
bombs and exploding arrows.
As technology increased,
launching the explosives and
guiding them were discovered a
few hundred years later.
A kinder, gentler human-
ity saw the carnage of war and
thought, “hey, we love the ex-
otic look of the bombs explod-
ing and the fire flying, but the
carnage… not so much.”
So people began to specialize
in aerial displays and shows that
made the people go from say-
ing, “Ow… OWWWW. To…
oooooh and ahhhhh and ohhh-
hhhh.” The role of the explo-
sives eventually went from the
battlefield to the field of enter-
tainment. Not totally, but you
get my drift.
The History channel enlight-
ens us by saying, “At the time
of the Renaissance, pyrotechnic
schools were training fireworks
artists across Europe, particular-
ly in Italy, which became famous
for its elaborate and colorful dis-
plays. It was the Italians who in
the 1830s became the first to in-
corporate trace amounts of met-
als and other additives, creating
the bright, multihued sparks
and sunbursts seen in contem-
porary fireworks shows. Earlier
displays only featured booming
sounds, orange flashes and faint
golden traces of light. During
the celebration of the founding
of America, John Adams talked
about the most memorable day
that was to come and even com-
mented that the celebration it-
self should be “solemnized with
pomp and parade, bonfires and
fireworks.”
Fireworks have ever since
been a part of this country’s cel-
ebration as well as other celebra-
tions – like the Minnesota Twins
actually getting a victory this
year. But that’s another story for
a sports page far, far away.
Today, fireworks have be-
come not only a billion dollar
business, but also a very com-
petitive market. This year, the
total amount spent on fireworks
in America is to reach the 700
million dollar range.
So now you know. Call your
friends, light off some boomers,
be careful of grandma and watch
the spirits of depression and
loneliness flee as you join your
friends and family this year. Oh,
and don’t forget to practice your
group “oooohs and ahhhhs.”
INDEPENDENT | MARK
DELAP
Mark and Robin DeLap
That first big bang