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A meeting in the Brain Injury Rehab Unit

This morning I was sitting in the lobby of the Rehab Center at Santa Clara County’s public hospital, Valley Medical Center. I’ve written about the specialty rehab practiced there, for traumatic brain and spinal cord injuries. I’ve detailed the advantages of having a Rehabilitation Trauma Center as part of the services offered. I really didn’t “get” it until just now.

I was there to take notes and video a nice human interest story – the visit of the almost-winner of this year’s Heisman Trophy, Toby Gerhart, taking a break from the Stanford team’s practice to visit a local high school football player who suffered a traumatic brain injury on the field on Thanksgiving.

Matt Blea, whose dad helps coach his son’s San Jose High School team, almost died that day. Emergency brain surgery saved him. He was stabilized, transferred for healing to his own hospital, then 12 days ago came back to SCVMC for specialized rehab.

I watched ambulatory patients come in for therapy sessions, I heard sirens as a fire truck pulled into the Emergency Department. Finally I saw Matt meet a young man just a few years older than him, and saw the respect and happiness in his eyes. “Dude, I’m such a fan, I just have to say it….” Matt told Toby.

Matt almost died a month ago. His hoodie covers a gnarly incision across the top of his head. He went jogging this morning, the rehab nurse told us. And he’s being discharged from the Rehab Unit on Christmas Eve.

We weren’t publicizing this event, and I was lucky to see it. Lots of hope, lots of respect, lots of team spirit and a couple of young men who are facing obstacles with courage.

(Matt Blea and Toby Gerhart with Blea’s family)