SPOKANE -- A young Spokane man is discovering a new way of life after a freak diving accident that left him paralyzed from the neck down. 21 year old Robert Yamada fought hard for his life last year. He went through months of physical therapy before coming back to his newly renovated home last month.
Every little thing we take for granted, from brushing our teeth to sending an email, will never be the same for Yamada. But the story is one of hope and new found strength as the family faces the unknown together.
Robert is just like any other college junior using the internet and Facebooking like the rest of his friends. It's just the way he does it that's different. Robert uses voice recognition software to do what many of us take for granted like clicking a mouse.
"It's really strange that my life went from being an active person that I was to being in a wheelchair and not being able to use my arms and legs," said Yamada.
It started out as a fun summer day with friends. That was until Robert dove into Lake Roosevelt's shallow water. He hit his head and didn't surface. His friends, knowing critical life-saving skills, pulled Robert to the shore, stayed by his side, and called for a medical helicopter to take him to Sacred Heart Medical Center in Spokane. The news only got worse at the hospital.
Doctors said his neck was broken and his diaphragm paralyzed. He had no movement below his neck. Robert was unconscious for more than a week. But when he finally opened his eyes, he mouthed the words, "hi mom".
Although this accident took a lot from him, it gave Robert and his family something priceless.
"I always wake up looking forward to the day ahead because Robert is still alive and so if I get bogged down in the sadness of it, I remind myself of that," said Robert's mother Renae.
Life has been made a lot easier for the Yamada's by this state of the art remodel to the family home. Friends and complete strangers pitched in to build it. All of the doorways are now wide enough for Robert's wheelchair and his room has been specially designed for him. Voice recognition software has been put throughout the house to help with the simplest of things such as turning on the lights.
"It definitely gives me hope that not all my activities are out of reach," said Robert. Getting to those activities are helped tremendously by his specialty wheelchair. A hollow tube with a sensor near his mouth helps control direction. When Robert puts it in his mouth and sips, the chair moves backwards. A hard puff goes forwards. A soft sip goes to the left and a soft puff makes the wheelchair move right. Then there is an optic censor that reads his lips. If Robert moves his lip up and down, the wheelchair switches between drive and tilt modes.
But Robert's life is not without it's challenges. Showering is complicated. It takes two people to lift him into a special chair and someone to bathe him everyday.
"I can deal with it, but it's a lot different you know. Not quite as much privacy, well no privacy," said Robert.
But Renae says the family is better for the accident. They are stronger now and with the right priorities. And that is family first, no matter what.
"Life is not about waiting for the storm to pass. It's about learning how to dance in the rain," said Renae.
