Keith
Stolworthy
My name is Dean Keith Stolworthy. I grew up in Henderson,
NV, and came here to Provo in August 2005 to
continue both my undergraduate education in
Mechanical Engineering at BYU and also my recovery from a
dirt-bike accident that occurred in March
2003. Since the time of my accident, I
have hoped of being able to live a normal life
again.
My accident occurred on Saturday, March 29, 2003. At the
time I was a senior at Basic High School and was the
captain of the Varsity Volleyball Team. I was riding with
two of my friends in the desert when I wrecked. I had
come over a hill and lost control of my bike. I was going
about 25-30 mph when I ended up dropping the bike into a
large water-drainage ditch. I went over the handlebars
and slammed into a dirt embankment, where most of the
impact was taken at my chest. I was wearing full-gear,
including a helmet, boots, and chest-protector however I
sustained multiple injuries - concussion, puncture in my
abdomen, lacerated spleen, most of my ribs were broken,
punctured lungs, and a torn aorta. My friends got help as
fast as they could, but it took emergency personnel about
45 minutes to get to me. It’s a miracle that I
survived to make it to the hospital, but also that I
survived the surgery to repair my aorta – a surgery
which left me paralyzed due to oxygen deprivation. The
doctors said I would never walk again and the remainder
of my life would be spent in a wheelchair. This is where
my new life started.
Since the time of my accident I have undergone
Occupational Therapy, where they taught me how to live my
life in a wheelchair, and lots of Physical Therapy, which
is when I was able to get some function back, however
that ended in December 2004. Since my accident I have
regained feeling and am now walking with a walker and
ankle braces. During my recovery I have pursued my
education in Mechanical Engineering, which is the reason
I came to BYU. While I was here in Provo, I heard about
the Sit Tall Stand Tall program, with Leighton Weber, and
I just started working with him in January 2007.