Dale Stetina in Critical Condition

[djg21]

http://velonews.competitor.com/2013/09/news/former-national-champion-dale-stetina-in-critical-condition-after-colorado-accident_301128

Former U.S. national road champion Dale Stetina, father of Garmin-Sharp’s Peter Stetina and brother of Shimano USA vice president Wayne Stetina, was in critical condition Saturday night after a cycling accident required him to be emergency airlifted to a Boulder, Colorado, hospital.

According to multiple sources — including Boulder newspaper Daily Camera, local Colorado cycling website 303Cycling, and veteran American racer Steve Tilford — Stetina, 57, sustained life-threatening injuries when he fell from his bike while trying to avoid colliding with a car in Lefthand Canyon, a well-traveled road for riding among the Boulder cycling community.

[jpw]

http://velonews.competitor.com/2013/09/news/former-national-champion-dale-stetina-in-critical-condition-after-colorado-accident_301128

the full article's description of his head and neck injuries sound terrible.

[David Kirk]

Scary and sobering stuff. Sending all the best to Mr. Stetina and his family.

Dave

[pbarry]

Thanks for posting this. Dale is one of the nicest guys ever. Hoping for the best and praying for his recovery.

[witcombusa]

Watched Dale race in the old Red Zinger/Coors Classic days out in Colorado...

[Repack Rider]

In 1984 Dale and his wife Anne, Tom Ritchey, Denise Caramagno and I went to Japan for the first ever Japanese National MTB championships.

A great trip, and Dale was a lot of fun. So sorry to hear about his accident.

Here he is in Crested Butte, that same year.

[gavingould]

Doesn't sound good. Hoping for full recovery from here.

[Lewis Moon]

When I raced as a kid, with tongue firmly placed in cheek, we referred to him as "Stale Wetna".
A great carreer, a great guy. Get well Stale.

[Bruce K]

Very sad and scary

I hope he recovers but it doesn't sound good

BK

[David Kirk]

Has anyone seen seen why the driver did what he did?

Dave

[pbarry]

Just guessing--the driver may have been trying to turn around and head back down the canyon. There have been no updates in the local news.

[rpm]

This is awful and gives me a chill. Especially since I'm sitting here with a brace on my broken neck from when I went over the bars six weeks ago. There but for the grace of God . . .

[pbarry]

Dale Stetina, two-time Coors Classic winner, remains critical following Lefthand Canyon crash
Camera staff
Posted: 09/01/2013 11:14:03 AM MDT | Updated: about 2 hours ago

Related Stories

Aug 31:
Cyclist airlifted to Boulder Community Hospital after Lefthand Canyon crash

Dale Stetina, former professional cyclist and two-time winner of Colorado's Coors Classic, remained in critical condition today at Boulder Community Hospital following a life-threatening crash in Lefthand Canyon on Saturday, family members said.

Stetina, 57, was in a medically induced coma with a head injury, said his brother, Wayne Stetina, who flew in from California on Sunday morning. Stetina's son, 26-year-old Boulder pro-cyclist Peter Stetina, flew in Sunday from France, where he was set to race. Stetina's two daughters and wife also were with him at the hospital.

Wayne Stetina said doctors couldn't give him a prognosis, saying they would know more after 72 hours had passed. Still, he said, he's optimistic. He noted his brother had been training for a trip to Italy with friends this week to cycle the Dolomites, putting him in the best shape he's been in over the last 15 years.

“Dale's been an overachiever all his life,” he said. “He's one of the best, the most skilled cyclists I've ever ridden with. He definitely has determination and fitness on his side.”

Wayne Stetina said his family has been overwhelmed with the outpouring of support from the cycling community.

Stetina is a member of the Bicycle Hall of Fame and won more than 200 domestic and international bike races during a career that spanned from 1965 to 1983. He was a member of the 1976 U.S. Olympic team, and twice won the biggest stage race in the U.S. — the Red Zinger Classic, in 1979, and the renamed Coors Classic, in 1983, according to the website Velo News.

Boulder's Ed Kuh, who is part of the group heading to Italy, said he and Stetina have been friends for 25 years.

“He is a very accomplished rider and a great friend,” he said. “He's very helpful, very loyal. He will do anything for anybody.”

Davis Phinney, a legendary Boulder cyclist who has been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, said he rarely rides now with cyclist friends because they're not patient enough to slow their pace. Stetina, he said, is an exception and the two rode together last month.

“I've always had huge respect for Dale,” he said. “He was one of the best riders in the United States. I looked up to him and his brother, Wayne, when I first started racing. We always had a good time when we rode.”

Colorado State Patrol officials said Stetina was airlifted to Boulder Community on Saturday after he fell from his bicycle while trying to avoid colliding with a vehicle around 12:30 p.m.

According to troopers who responded to the scene, a 1999 Jeep SUV was headed west when the driver — identified only as an adult male — pulled across the center line and onto a shoulder on the opposite side of the road. The driver then attempted to pull back into the westbound lane just as a group of cyclists headed east on the roadway came around a slight bend, officials said.

All of the cyclists were able to avoid the vehicle, but Stetina lost control in the process of maneuvering, causing him to fall from his bike, according the State Patrol.

“He swerved and braked so hard he went over the handlebars,” Cpl. Heather Cobler of the Colorado State Patrol said on Saturday.

Stetina was wearing a helmet.

The driver, who remained on scene, was not ticketed, but officials said the incident is still under investigation.

[Louis]

Gee, I wonder what you have to do in CO to get a ticket?

Apparently being the direct cause of a very serious, nearly fatal, accident is not one of them.

According to troopers who responded to the scene, a 1999 Jeep SUV was headed west when the driver — identified only as an adult male — pulled across the center line and onto a shoulder on the opposite side of the road. The driver then attempted to pull back into the westbound lane just as a group of cyclists headed east on the roadway came around a slight bend, officials said.
:
:
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The driver, who remained on scene, was not ticketed, but officials said the incident is still under investigation.

[ultraman6970]

Who knows how many location of death bodies the driver knows that even his name is muted by the media. Weird to say the least.

[mcteague]

Gee, I wonder what you have to do in CO to get a ticket?

Apparently being the direct cause of a very serious, nearly fatal, accident is not one of them.

Last year I was heading down a slight grade towards an intersection. The only car around was headed the other way and turned left in front of me. Unfortunately he realized there was a bike on the road and slammed on the brakes, stopping right in front of me. I was going too fast to stop so I steered sharply to the right, just missing the front of his car. This put me in line with a curb and I did not have time to jump it. Flipped over the bars and slammed onto my back. Luckily, this dissipated much of the force and I was not hurt that badly.

When the police arrived they said there was nothing they could do as we never made contact! I said so "if I swing a bat at your head as you are jogging by, and you jump out of the way to avoid it only to run into a tree. I am not responsible?". The legal system really does not care about bikes and their riders. At least when cars are involved.

Tim

[gemship]

Last year I was heading down a slight grade towards an intersection. The only car around was headed the other way and turned left in front of me. Unfortunately he realized there was a bike on the road and slammed on the brakes, stopping right in front of me. I was going too fast to stop so I steered sharply to the right, just missing the front of his car. This put me in line with a curb and I did not have time to jump it. Flipped over the bars and slammed onto my back. Luckily, this dissipated much of the force and I was not hurt that badly.

When the police arrived they said there was nothing they could do as we never made contact! I said so "if I swing a bat at your head as you are jogging by, and you jump out of the way to avoid it only to run into a tree. I am not responsible?". The legal system really does not care about bikes and their riders. At least when cars are involved.

Tim

That's a good analogy. I would be interested to know what their reaction was to that.

[carpediemracing]

I'm sure a lot of you have been following the various reports but Dale's family apparently set up a twitter account for updating all of us with his condition.

twitter: @dalestetina

[mcteague]

That's a good analogy. I would be interested to know what their reaction was to that.

The cop said he sympathized but kept saying there was nothing he could do. I actually contacted a lawyer who I hired when hit by a car that ran a stop sign. Cops did not ticket that guy either and pretty much blamed me. I won that case but, after a bit of research, the lawyer said there was no case here. Maybe if I were seriously hurt!

Tim

[sales guy]

I have a friend who was the sales manager at the original yeti bikes. He was hit by someone while riding. The cops gave him the ticket! They said he was on the left of the white line and he shouldn't have been. But what was funny was the damage to the girls car was on center left of the hood. Which means she was well over the line and he would have been hit either way if he was right of white. Tis happened in Durango btw. He ended up with a broken back and other injuries. It was his first ride on his new road project that day. He was down for a year.

[bobswire]

Last year I was heading down a slight grade towards an intersection. The only car around was headed the other way and turned left in front of me. Unfortunately he realized there was a bike on the road and slammed on the brakes, stopping right in front of me. I was going too fast to stop so I steered sharply to the right, just missing the front of his car. This put me in line with a curb and I did not have time to jump it. Flipped over the bars and slammed onto my back. Luckily, this dissipated much of the force and I was not hurt that badly.

When the police arrived they said there was nothing they could do as we never made contact! I said so "if I swing a bat at your head as you are jogging by, and you jump out of the way to avoid it only to run into a tree. I am not responsible?". The legal system really does not care about bikes and their riders. At least when cars are involved.

Tim

Swinging a bat at you would be deliberate intent to cause harm, the car didn't see you until too late, classified an accident. Is my guess.

BTW Stetina is showing slight improvement. http://velonews.competitor.com/2013/09/news/though-showing-improvement-stetina-remains-in-critical-condition_301282

[CunegoFan]

Under the cop's theory: Two cars approach each other from opposite directions. One crosses the center line. The other swerves to avoid a collision, runs off the road, and hits a tree. The driver who crossed the center line has no responsibility because there was no contact.

[sitzmark]

As reported, the vehicle was returning to the roadway after having parked. A different scenario than crossing the centerline during normal operation.

In narrow two-lane canyons, it is typical for there to be few pull-offs. Often those that do exist are on the stream-side of the road. I don't recall for certain if Colorado law allows crossing (solid/double) centerlines to park, but I think it does. If so, the driver violated no obvious law and therefore ticketing/responsibility would depend on failure to act responsibly and safely. Sounds like that is under investigation. Either way, citing the driver does little to help Dale.

A very, very unfortunate accident and all thoughts are for him to fully recover.

[rileystylee]

Hope he fully recovers.

Interesting though that he WAS wearing a helmet and this sort of injury still happens....

[firerescuefin]

Hope he fully recovers.

Interesting though that he WAS wearing a helmet and this sort of injury still happens....

How is that interesting...he faceplanted much like Weylandt. He's lucky to be alive. Not sure what you were expecting the helmet to do.

[rileystylee]

How is that interesting...he faceplanted much like Weylandt. He's lucky to be alive. Not sure what you were expecting the helmet to do.

Interesting because if he hadn't been wearing one i'm sure there would be people saying "he should have".
I wasn't expecting the helmet to offer any protection if he landed onhis face or the back of his head.

[firerescuefin]

Interesting because if he hadn't been wearing one i'm sure there would be people saying "he should have".
I wasn't expecting the helmet to offer any protection if he landed on his face or the back of his head.

I knew that's where you were going and that you were trying to stir the pot...which is why I called you on it.

Your right...people would have...thanks for that.

As someone that responds to emergencies like that for a living, I'd say it was probably good he was wearing one.

[rileystylee]

I knew that's where you were going and that you were trying to stir the pot...which is why I called you on it.

Your right...people would have...thanks for that.

As someone that responds to emergencies like that for a living, I'd say it was probably good he was wearing one.

If you say so....

[pbarry]

Here are the tweets from @dalestetina in the last few days:

dale stetina ‏@dalestetina 1h

Dale's first "down day". He was a little too active ystrdy. Got some fluid in lungs, no worries. Today: rest day after ystrdy "queen stage"
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dale stetina ‏@dalestetina 6 Sep

Hard work but sat up on own power. body is very strong from neckline down. Also stuck out his tongue: more difficult task than hand gestures
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dale stetina ‏@dalestetina 6 Sep

Dale got to relax in lounge chair vs stuck in bed, seemed relieved. He also acknowledged to Nurse he knew he was in the hospital. Awareness!
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dale stetina ‏@dalestetina 5 Sep

Dale's recovering from surgery. He got trach(neck breathing tube) & peg(stomach feeding tube). More comfy:no wires down mouth & throat.
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dale stetina ‏@dalestetina 4 Sep

Dale was very active today. Moving arms, legs, raising head and eyes. He hates the tube in throat. Hoping to move onto trach soon
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dale stetina ‏@dalestetina 4 Sep

Nurse just called. Dad has responded to her command to grab her hand with both hands. and to raise 2 fingers for her. This is HUGE!
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dale stetina ‏@dalestetina 3 Sep

So we're really positive that he'll live. No idea on brain damage level still
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dale stetina ‏@dalestetina 3 Sep

Docs have officially moved Dad from "critical" status down to "serious"!!!

[jds108]

If you say so....

Riley, your approach here and your words are in poor taste. This thread isn't some nebulous philosophical post, it's about a specific person. Now thread drift occurs all the time, but you aren't taking this discussion anywhere it should go.

-Jeff

[oldpotatoe]

[QUOTE=rileystylee;1412381]Hope he fully recovers.

Thanks to PBarry for the tweets, truly good news!!

gonna stay out of the helmet discussion...glad Dale seems to be coming back from the 'other side'...

[rileystylee]

Riley, your approach here and your words are in poor taste. This thread isn't some nebulous philosophical post, it's about a specific person. Now thread drift occurs all the time, but you aren't taking this discussion anywhere it should go.

-Jeff

Again, if you say so.
Glad to hear that the chap who injured himself is on the mend - that's the most important thing.

[pbarry]

dale stetina ‏@dalestetina 2h

Walked almost 30ft using walker w/ minimal assistance. Kept throwing walker aside!!! answering basic yes/no verbally. 100% off ventilator
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dale stetina ‏@dalestetina 7h

Yesterday was a very pessimistic morning from docs but then last nite and this am Dale is a champ again! What an emotional roller coaster.
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dale stetina ‏@dalestetina 9h

All fluid out of Dale's lungs, off Ventilator & heavy sedation. Active today trying 2 climb out of bed. Making strong eye contact last nite
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dale stetina ‏@dalestetina 10 Sep

No further recovery observed since Friday due to heavy sedation to resolve minor complications. Facial surgery set for Thursday
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dale stetina ‏@dalestetina 9 Sep

It's starting to sink in how long and grueling this recovery process will be. Signs are still positive but we're not out of the woods yet
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dale stetina ‏@dalestetina 8 Sep

Dale's having tough day again. Some fluid build up in lungs & GI infection. Docs say isn't unusual in this game. positive note: fever gone!
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dale stetina ‏@dalestetina 7 Sep

Dale's first "down day". He was a little too active ystrdy. Got some fluid in lungs, no worries. Today: rest day after ystrdy "queen stage"

[firerescuefin]

Latest posts are really encouraging:) ...thanks for posting Patrick!

[BumbleBeeDave]

If you say so....

. . . give it a rest, dude. Firerescuefin has that handle for a reason. Unless you are an MD or similarly trained paramedic grade first responder, give it a rest and let's just send positive thoughts toward Dale.

And yes, I have also somersaulted over my bars and face planted, breaking my neck (C4), concussion, sprained shoulder, and lost part of my right ear. The helmet--close to split in two--is still hanging in my living room as a reminder that I am absolutely certain I would be dead or a vegetable if I had not been wearing it.

BBD

[oliver1850]

+1 on Geoff's comments. Hope you will continue progress reports.

[tiretrax]

I missed this news last week. That era may be the golden era of US Cycling. I loved watching and reading about races that I didn't see.

Best to the Stetinas.

[pbarry]

Dale just missed the U.S. pro team era. If he'd been born 5 years later, there's no question in my mind that he'd have worn a polka dot jersey. At the time, there was nowhere to go as a top U.S. cyclist after the Olympics and Red Zinger/Coors and Nationals. Just try to finish in the (meager) money every race day. No pro category of any substance, and if you went there, you were off the Olympic team, and no Euro team was going to sign an American.

If anyone here has a copy of an old Velo News, circa 1980-83--there was a wonderful image of Dale leading a climb in the William Tell or Tour of Britain, with some of the world's best (pro) climbers following, please post it.

He's a fighter, and it's only been 12 days, with incredible progress.

Keep the positive thoughts flowing. :)

[Wilkinson4]

Keep the posts up pbarry. He probably has a long way to go but it is all very encouraging. Positive vibes flowing from this forum for sure.

mIKE

[pbarry]

Keep the posts up pbarry. He probably has a long way to go but it is all very encouraging. Positive vibes flowing from this forum for sure.

mIKE

Thanks, Mike. We must ride when you are feeling better. Hope your recovery is coming along nicely.

[GT2R]

Wow, really scary incident. The news seems encouraging and time passes. Best wishes during recovery.

[Pars]

Best wishes to him on his recovery! Hope the positive keeps on coming.

[pbarry]

dale stetina ‏@dalestetina 13 Sep

THANKS to our amazing neighbors for keeping the #boulderflood contained in our basement while we support Dale. Couldn't stand w/out you
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dale stetina ‏@dalestetina 13 Sep

Dale's surgery to repair facial fractures went well yesterday. Now he's recovering thru weekend to get back to active levels before surgery
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dale stetina ‏@dalestetina 12 Sep

We are feeling the love. Almost too much! This community is amazing. #grateful
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dale stetina ‏@dalestetina 12 Sep

Ur concern is truly humbling but please wait 4 updates, individual inquiries r becoming overwhelming. we appreciate ur prayers & read all!
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dale stetina ‏@dalestetina 12 Sep

Dale's facial surgery rescheduled for this afternoon. He's safe & hospital is staying dry. Everyone be safe regarding Boulder flood!
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Roxanne King ‏@CyclingRox 12 Sep

@dalestetina Best wishes for continued recovery. Hang in there!
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dale stetina ‏@dalestetina 11 Sep

[pbarry]

dale stetina ‏@dalestetina 10h

in addition to Rally fundraising, our kind friends have helped us with another donation platform: https://mycharityofchoice.com/campaign/profile/342 … Thanks!
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dale stetina ‏@dalestetina 10h

Dale will head to @CraigHospital in Denver on monday to start the rehab life!
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dale stetina ‏@dalestetina 19 Sep

For more detail on Dale's progress than 140 characters u can also visit http://caringbridge.org/visit/dalestetina … both twitter and cb will be updated regularly
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dale stetina ‏@dalestetina 19 Sep

So humbled by outpouring support, a little embarrassing to promote, but medical bills pile up fast. Plus lots of ?'s regarding donations
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dale stetina ‏@dalestetina 19 Sep

Dale Stetina Trust fund. If you have the time, please visit https://rally.org/dalestetina . Don't feel obligated to give more than a nice prayer.
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dale stetina ‏@dalestetina 18 Sep

Dale held some very coherent and adult-level conversations today!
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dale stetina ‏@dalestetina 16 Sep

Peter visited upon return from Quebec races. Dale acknowledged him, remembered him & told him to work on his sprint! Ha! He's in there!
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dale stetina ‏@dalestetina 15 Sep

Dale has been quietly recovering under sedation this weekend from facial surgery. Hoping for a transfer to Craig hospital soon.
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[Wilkinson4]

I can't imagine the costs, and I have no idea of his insurance situation. My afternoon in the Hospital resulted in over 15K of medical procedures and I walked out with an arm sling.:eek: This just seems to be a perfect opportunity for a Bikeaid or something from folks in the industry, raffles for a frame, or something.:bike:

mIKE

[pbarry]

dale stetina ‏@dalestetina 6h

Dale has been pretty agitated the last few days. But the nurses aren't too worried considering the recent move and work load he's gone thru
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dale stetina ‏@dalestetina 26 Sep

Dale swallowed applesauce and wrote his name! #rehab
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dale stetina ‏@dalestetina 25 Sep

Dale is really settling into Craig. http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/dalestetina … for detailed update from Anne
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dale stetina ‏@dalestetina 23 Sep

The move to Craig went smoothly. Dale has a nice room with a massive playpen style bed. he also had initial evaluations with the docs
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dale stetina ‏@dalestetina 23 Sep

Road tripping down to @CraigHospital later this morning! Woohoo!
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dale stetina ‏@dalestetina 23 Sep

During a lucid moment y'day, told Dale almost 2k follow on twitter just to know how he is. He got teary that so many care about him! Thanks
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[pbarry]

This was posted by Dale's daughter two days ago @ http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/dalestetina

October 7 update

Oct 7, 2013 7:42pm
Hi all,

Dad has, overall, had a hard week here at Craig, dealing with lots of agitation and paranoia. However, he had quite the appetite and is eating full meals of puréed food and liquids! He still has a feeding tube however to supplement his nutrition and for medication, which eventually will be the last tube to come out. I'd say he has increased coordination (can feed himself) and awareness of his situation (usually knows he's in hospital, remembering therapist's names on occasion, and being embarrassed to be fed through a tube). He perseverates on random topics almost constantly, so we are learning the tough skill of communicating with him to change the subject to positive topics and not increase his agitation. (Which is not always possible, sometimes we just let him alone until he bores himself and sleeps, hopefully). I especially have a knack for calming him, and occasionally in those moments I glimpse his kind, generous heart that is just covered by pain and a very confused, frustrated brain.

We met today for our first "family conference" where Claire, Peter, and Wayne called in from California and we talked about Dad's injury and treatment plan with Dad's docs, nurses, and therapists. We saw his scans for the first time. He has suffered a type of TBI called Diffuse Axonal Injury (DAI) which is like microscopic bleeds all over his brain caused by sheering forces (acceleration/deceleration in the accident). This can be a very devastating type of brain injury. There is a major bleed to his left thalamus, which is like the central switching station of the brain. This injury often affects things like attention, effort, language, speech, forgetfulness - much of what we've seen in Dad as he's been recovering. We got a big-picture reassurance that Dad WILL improve significantly, and even a tentative estimate of Dad leaving Craig's care by potentially late-November. Overall, the meeting gave a promising long-term prognosis.

Mom and I will be leaving this week to celebrate Pete & Dyanna getting married and looking forward to this joyous celebration! We still have a strict no visitors order from docs saying it is "medically necessary for his recovery." We trust he is in good hands of caring nurses and aides that are really getting to know him.

Kate

[saab2000]

Keep the posts coming. The Stetina brothers were among the first US cyclists I was aware of when I started following (became aware of) the sport in the late 1970s.

I continue to hope for the best recovery possible.

[pbarry]

Written Oct 15, 2013 11:11pm

A few more notes after spending the day with Dale: he is on more of a routine and has a planner to help him understand and remember his daily schedule. He was finally able to focus enough that therapists are able to complete baseline testing and he will be seen by an eye doctor tomorrow - don’t think his eyes are focusing in sync. One very important thing he needs to do is to try to control his racing thoughts. As we’ve mentioned before, he talks incessantly and the staff is trying to get him to purposefully slow down and not say everything he is thinking. His "filter" is better but needs work. He tries to give relationship advice to the techs and nurses much to my and their amusement - the common theme he tries to relay is to love and take care of each other. That's my Dale!

-Anne

October 15 Update

Written Oct 15, 2013 12:38am

Hi all,

We just returned from Pete's beautiful wedding!! It was a WONDERFUL celebration and full of joy, and we made a lovely toast to Dad. Congrats to Pete and Dy!!! We don't have official photos yet, but here's a little teaser. So fun and very beautiful!

We have been very impressed with the techs and nurses here that spend all day with Dad, so we felt comfortable not being there all weekend. He still has a one-on-one tech with him 24/7 since he needs so much attention. He apparently stood up quickly in his playpen bed the other day and hopped out (it's like a 4 foot wall), which is very dangerous since he's not cleared to walk yet and could have fallen. Other than that, he had a mostly smooth weekend with awesome strides!

He is emerging from this amnesia! He has much better short term memory, and in lucid moments remembers up until the week before the accident. He still has little sense of time, though. He is being more appropriate and becoming concerned about others around him. He does get tired as the day wears on and becomes more confused. He still talks almost nonstop and it is clear his brain is going a mile a minute, but holds converstions better and actually makes sense. I was so happy to come by the hospital tonight and hear his nurse saying how much everyone on staff was getting to know and love Dad, now that he is more kind and considerate and his lectures are actually interesting when they are on topic. He even gave both me and his tech a head massage this evening because he wanted to help us too.

He understands missing the wedding, although certainly bummed, but when asked says that if he would have been there, he would have been beaming with pride. He loves Dyanna and says it's only okay he missed it because the knows she's perfect for Peter and "she's awesome."

We are expecting good things from Dad now that his head is a little clearer. His attention span is much better! He even complains of boredom in his therapies since he is still doing the basics (Craig's philosophy is the relearn everything "right" the first time to set up a better foundation for recovery). He will start having more input or at least knowledge in regards to his medical decisions. We hope that his cognitive abilities are starting to catch up more to his physical abilities so that he can make more strides in physical therapy, since right now he's very limited in what he can do. Spastic right leg is ever-improving.

As always, we are so thankful to our community, neighbors and friends for everything. And that Dad had such a good weekend while we were away:)

-Kate


Latest tweets:
dale stetina ‏@dalestetina 15 Oct

2 new updates from both Anne and Kate on http://caringbridge.org/visit/dalestetina …. It's been big week, thanks everyone for being patient!
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dale stetina ‏@dalestetina 15 Oct

Dale had a great wknd, with his foggy mind clearing up a lot. Much improved short-term memory and attention span. We are stoked!!
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dale stetina ‏@dalestetina 15 Oct

Dale says @peterstetina "You lucky duck, you found the perfect woman for ya. Better not screw it up;) Sorry I missed the wedding!"

[pbarry]

http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/dalestetina

October 27 update

8 hours ago
Hello everyone!

I'm here with Dad, he says hi! Sorry for the lack of updates, my mom and I have just been very busy. We will try to post more often.

This week Dad has had some great strides that are allowing him to make better progress in therapies. He has walked a few times in PT with a walker and spotter. He has better control over his spastic right leg, but he still has poor balance because of it. He has been on a recumbent bike on a trainer a few times, which we are very excited about. Sooner rather than later we expect him to be on a spin bike. I think that once he starts getting some exercise and improves his mobility, he will speed up his recover as he'll be able to relax and feel better (he's always been that way). The last tube in his body, the g-tube (feeding tube) came out the the other day since he can now eat and take meds on his own. He was having a lot of mouth pain due to bone screws from his jaw surgery, but those came out last week and now he is much less agitated and distracted. Must have been super uncomfortable for him! His vision is very impaired, but we are working on it with various eye exercises. Right now, his most obvious challenge is that he talks incessantly (imagine typical Dale-style lectures almost constantly:) and doesn't have much of a filter to be appropriate. He definitely is coming back, though! Yesterday he helped me go through some complicated tax stuff and understood it well enough. Which is great, as my mom and I sure aren't very good at all that :)

I spent several hours with him yesterday reading the many cards we've received since his accident. He is so humbled and thankful by our many communities of support. Just this week has he begin to grasp the seriousness of his accident, and some of the very difficult, fearful times his family and friends have been through. In true Dale fashion, he is more concerned about us than himself.

Mom and I are doing well, just staying super busy splitting our time between school/work in Boulder and trying to be with Dad as much as possible, and juggling the rest of life stuff that we have to deal with. Right now, I am more optimistic about his abilities when he comes home than I every have been. Much of his long-term functioning is still a big question mark, though. Dad has always been very optimistic, and that is still so present in his outlook, despite things like knowing he will never be able to ride a bike like he did before (given his poor vision). Still, he is so very thankful for his many blessings. He has some remarkable insight about his life situation, and I have no doubt he will be an incredible inspiration for the rest of his life!

-Kate

[572cv]

This is simultaneously heart rending and uplifting. Thanks for posting, Kate.

There are a lot of folks Dale has never met who are rooting for him!

[Ralph]

Stetina Family......You don't know me......but sometime around the mid 70's I think, don't recall exactly, There was a bicycle race in downtown Orlando, FL, around a lake, called the Milk Race (Named after some other famous race). Dale and Wayne Stetina, and some other racers, were with Bill Woodall with the Campagnolo support van, and they stayed at our home for one night. Believe Dale was still in high school. In those days, it was not uncommon for local bike clubs to host visiting racers.

My wife made a big meal for our guests, I don't remember what, but I do remember them as being healthy eaters. What I do remember vividly is after their bellies were full, she brought out a big bowl of home made cookies. They all said they were full, but she left them on the table anyway. And Dale stuffed his pockets with them after she left the room. She got a big kick out of that, figuring she was fueling some hard riding next day during the race. Anyway....we haven't forgotten our well behaved hungry guests so many years ago. And followed their careers. Can't remember who won the race, either Wayne Stetina or Roger Young. Do remember Dale raced very well as a teenager. Hoping for a speedy recovery for Dale.

[pbarry]

Ralph, that's a wonderful story. Thank you.



dale stetina ‏@dalestetina 6 Nov

Just brought in an old Cecil Behringer track bike on turbo trainer to get some real pedaling in...training is a high priority for Dale:)

dale stetina ‏@dalestetina 6 Nov

Typical chillin at Craig in his awesome playpen bed! Kate doing hw and Dale checking his planner

dale stetina ‏@dalestetina 6 Nov

Dale enjoying the therapy pool... great exercise!

[Wilkinson4]

Cecil Behringer track bike, that's awesome. I had a road bike awhile ago. Thanks for the update!

mIKE

[soulspinner]

Wow back on the horse :hello: