After a motocross accident in 1988, Bill lived with quadriplegia due to a C5-6 spinal cord injury. Although he faced more than a few challenges, he persevered with the goal of staying independent. And along the way, he dedicated his career to helping others after his spinal cord injury.
During his years at 180 Medical, Bill talked with new customers living with spinal cord injuries and others learning how to use catheters for the first time. He was one of the first employees with a spinal cord injury, using his firsthand experience to offer peer support, practical tips, and encouragement to so many people over the years.
Bill’s Life Before His Spinal Cord Injury
Growing up, Bill loved staying active and was always getting into mischief. And more than anything else, he loved motorcycles.
“I finally convinced my parents to buy me my first motorcycle when I was 11 years old,” Bill shared. “Within the first year, I entered my first race and realized that was all I wanted to do. I was heavily involved in racing throughout my junior high and high school years. I was also big on riding my BMX bicycle. I kept my parents busy.”
The Motocross Accident That Changed Bill’s Life
On June 7, 1988, Bill had just started his first day of summer school. He had just one more semester left at the University of Oklahoma to complete his marketing degree.
That day, he and a friend went to the river to practice on a track that Bill had made. He was preparing for a benefit race for a former professional racer who had broken his neck in a motocross accident a few years earlier. “He was somebody I had always looked up to.”
After the first practice session, Bill’s friend’s bike broke down, so he decided to head out and asked Bill to come with him. Bill stayed behind, and while practicing, he fell at a corner and hit his helmet on a protruding tree root.
“I was wide awake throughout the whole ordeal,” he said. “It felt like somebody hit me over the head with a baseball bat and electrocuted me at the same time.”
The area by the river was remote, and he worried he might be there for a long time. Thankfully, not long after his accident, another trail rider came along and found Bill, asking him if he was okay.
Bill told him, “No, I think I broke my neck,” because he couldn’t move anything in his body. Later, he would find out that the accident had caused a compression burst fracture of his fifth and sixth cervical vertebrae.
The trail rider called emergency services for Bill, and they arrived quickly to transport him to the hospital.
Rehab, Recovery, and Learning New Routines After SCI
After the accident, Bill spent a week or so in the Intensive Care Unit. Then he had a spinal fusion surgery and spent about two more weeks in recovery. Then it was time to transfer to a rehabilitation center. Luckily, I was in good shape back then, so I had no other complications from my accident.
At first, Bill was focused on the hope that he might walk again, despite the severity of his injury.
“The first couple of days in rehab, I couldn’t get out of bed until I was fully evaluated, and I felt stir-crazy,” he said. “At the time, I had a Foley catheter inserted in me to drain my bladder. I remember wondering how my bowels and bladder were ever going to work again.”
When the staff brought him his first manual wheelchair, he wasn’t able to push the chair very well on his own due to how his upper body had also been affected by the level of his SCI. “But I pushed as hard as I could because I knew I had to regain my strength.”
At the time, Bill was the only quadriplegic in the facility. He shared a room with three paraplegics and often tried to do what they were doing. “A lot of it was just impossible,” he said. “But it did help drive me to try and achieve as much as I could.”
Learning to Self-Catheterize as a Quadriplegic
A few days into his time in rehab, a nurse came in and told him they were going to remove his Foley catheter, and he was going to learn how to self-catheterize.
“I’m pretty sure I looked at her in total disbelief,” Bill shared. “I remember thinking I’d never be able to do that on my own, but the nurse told me she believed I could do it.”
All in all, that first time took about 30 minutes. But the nurse was right. Bill was able to self-cath on his own.
“I figured out that I could get a good grip on the catheter by using my forefinger on one hand and my thumb on the other hand, even as a quadriplegic,” Bill said. “And as the weeks passed, I began to improve. As the saying goes, practice makes perfect.”
Rehab and recovering from his spinal cord injury weren’t easy. He had to catheterize every four hours, which meant he was woken up at midnight and again at 4:00 a.m. to cath. Staff also came in regularly to turn him and help reduce the risk of developing pressure sores.
“I remember feeling like I was always exhausted,” Bill said. “I even fell asleep during one of my cathing sessions.”
UTIs, Pressure Sores, and Other Challenges
During rehab, Bill developed his very first urinary tract infection (UTI). He didn’t feel well, and he was having problems with sudden urine leakage, which is one of the ways people with spinal cord injuries can sometimes tell when they have a UTI.
After treatment, he began to feel a little better. However, in those days, access to catheter supplies and more hygienic catheter practices were different from what they are today, and Bill continued to experience recurring infections.
Bill also faced complications with his spine and was later placed in a halo brace after imaging showed his vertebrae were shifting. During the return hospital stay, Bill developed his first pressure sore on his coccyx.
When he returned to the rehabilitation center, the staff were upset that this had happened. They began treating the wound while continuing his therapy, since Bill needed to make as much progress as possible during the time his insurance would cover his rehabilitation.
Finding Independence and Relearning Daily Life After Spinal Cord Injury
Bill worked hard during his time in rehab and learned to do as much as he could on his. He had to relearn many daily tasks, such as getting dressed, holding silverware, writing with a pen, and performing wheelchair transfers.
After about three months, Bill was finally released. He no longer had his apartment, so he moved back to his parents’ house while continuing outpatient rehab and treatment for his pressure sore.
However, later, he returned to Norman, Oklahoma, and faced the challenges of finding a wheelchair-accessible home. “And not long after that, I returned to school and completed my degree,” Bill shared proudly. “Plus, I got my first adaptive van and was able to get out, drive, and enjoy the world again on my own.”
Building a Career Around Helping Others
Bill’s first job after his spinal cord injury was working at an independent living center, where he helped other people with disabilities access technologies like adaptive tools.
Later, he worked for a company that modified vehicles for people with disabilities. That’s where he met the founder of 180 Medical, Todd Brown. Todd talked to him about joining 180 Medical and the company’s mission: providing high-quality catheter supplies with caring, knowledgeable service. Bill accepted the opportunity and joined the team.
For Bill, it was fulfilling to encourage and support people, answer questions from his lived experience, and help others learn how to cath.
Bill’s Lasting Impact
For many years after his injury, Bill enjoyed riding his handcycle, weight training, swimming, and watching motocross racing. As he put it, “Once motocross is in your blood, it’s there to stay.”
He also regularly visited newly injured patients in rehab facilities to offer encouragement and support. He knew firsthand just how meaningful it could be to speak with someone who understood what life after a spinal cord injury could feel like.
Bill’s story continues to reflect the importance of peer support, independence, and real-life understanding for people living with spinal cord injuries. His experience also helped shape the compassionate, knowledgeable support 180 Medical strives to provide customers every day.
Bill was a beloved member of the 180 Medical team for many years, and we’re honored to continue sharing his story.
Support for Catheter Users After Spinal Cord Injury
Everyone’s needs after a spinal cord injury are different. If your healthcare provider recommends intermittent catheterization, 180 Medical is here to help you explore your catheter options from a wide variety of brands.
Today, we have a dedicated Peer Support team and Patient Advocates who are here for customers who may be adjusting to life with a spinal cord injury or who are new to using catheters.
If you need a reliable catheter company, reach out to 180 Medical to get started.
