Durango snowboarder recovers after breaking neck, spine

Andy Hawk had plunged into the snow and taken falls a thousand times before during his 35 years snowboarding, but this time was different. This time, when his head hit the wet, powdery snow, it would be the last time Hawk would strap on a snowboard.

The fall on March 12 at Purgatory Resort resulted in multiple breaks to vertebra in his neck and spine. Doctors were concerned he may lose the use of his legs.

It may have been the end of his snowboarding days, but Hawk vowed not to let it be the end of his active lifestyle. Through recovery, Hawk has maintained a positive and determined mindset.

Hawk said he made it onto the first lift of the day and had a great bunch of runs. On his fifth or sixth run, he “dropped in” to Elliot’s Run just after he met Scott Graham, a local author and skier. Hawk started his descent on Elliot’s Run ahead of Graham, so Graham saw as he plunged into the snow. It was not until Graham heard Hawk screaming that he got his first shiver of concern. After Graham skied down to where Hawk lay on his back, Hawk said, “I can’t feel myself breathing.” He had no sensation below his chin at first, but within 2 to 5 minutes after impact, he could feel his hands again. Before he could recognize his hands as his own, he felt as if his head and body were separate.

“It was amazing,” Hawk said of the sensation. “It was just astonishing because it was as if my body did not exist.”

Purgatory Resort Ski Patrol responded with a toboggan and provided him with quick medical attention. But he would have a long road to recovery.

His long-term diagnosis remains unclear – it can take up to two years to know what is short-term damage and what will be long-term – but one thing is clear: His recovery is occurring faster than anyone would have imagined.

Four months after the accident, Hawk can walk on his own again and is regaining sensation in different parts of his body. He continues to have issues with impairment from his armpits to his toes – such as a lack of sensation on one side of his body. He said only one half of his body can feel temperature, meaning that when he takes a shower, only half his body can register what is happening. It also means he doesn’t sweat on that side of his body.

The lack of sensation affects how long he can stay outside because he starts to overheat quickly. These, among other sensory issues, continue to affect Hawk’s life. But there has been progress in his recovery. Hawk said earlier this month he regained sensation in his feet. Before his senses returned to his feet, his brain would register the concrete as hard or grass as spongy, but now, his brain can delineate between the blades of grass.

Hawk’s commitment to recovery is rooted in his ambition to return to as much a normal life as he can.

“I knew I wanted to see how far can I push my recovery to be a part of my children’s lives,” Hawk said. “Could I go back to doing the kind of things that we do together? And it drove me, gave me sort of this positive aspiration to carry my recovery as far as I could.”

Hawk also found support through his community, including friends and family from multiple states. Hawk said his father visited from Montana while he was at Mercy Regional Medical Center. The community rallied behind the Hawk family to ensure they had what they needed, including a “meal train” in which a support group would cook meals for the Hawks while Andy was in recovery, said Heather Hawk, Andy Hawk’s wife.

“I’m forever grateful, forever inspired by those people,” Andy Hawk said.

Hawk was especially appreciative of the care he received at Craig Hospital in Denver.

“The quality of care is astonishing,” he said. “It’s a deep level of compassion and commitment to seeing a person recover and return to something like their prior life. You just, you feel that momentum of that. You sort of get swept up in that momentum.”

Hawk said he has no plans to strap on a snowboard – as a result of the severity of his crash – but he can find identity through other aspects of his life.

“You really have to look hard at yourself and say, ‘Can I set that part of myself aside, can I no longer identify that way?’” Hawk said. “That’s a big mental challenge.”

Hawk has continued to lead an active life despite not being at his old endurance level. There are times when he has to remind himself he suffered a massive injury and his body needs time to heal. He pushes himself toward his goals step by step – including walking, hiking, yoga and staying active in the community.

Hawk said one of his greatest therapies in his recovery continues to be walking, adding that Durango is a great town for walking.

One thing Hawk has gained is a renewed sense of positivity. He said his outlook on daily interactions has changed. He has gained an understanding of how important each interaction is with people in the community.

“I came close to touching what could have been the end of my life, and luckily was not,” Hawk said.

Hawk said his recovery has plateaued, but he evaluates himself every day and says, “OK, if this is what I get to live with for the rest of my life, thats’ just fine. I can lead a very full and complete life, given where I am at this moment. And if it changes, wonderful, if it doesn’t, I’m going to figure out how to accommodate everything I have.”

bmandile@durangoherald.com