In this episode of the Gaylord Think Possible podcast, Megan Palmer, OT, and Gaylord's ThinkFirst Program coordinator, interviews Mike Kyrsuik. Mike talks about nearly life-ending injuries from a car accident when he was a 17-year-old varsity baseball pitcher ready to graduate from high school in 1974. Mike had always been a responsible student until earlier that year when he started hanging with what he described as “the big crowd,” a group of popular jocks who often cut classes together.
Having regarded himself as a “social nobody” for years, Mike was flattered that the group had accepted him into their fold. After all, he reasoned, he was a senior, and it was finally his time to shine. But running with the big crowd exacted a hefty toll. He was invited to join the group on an impromptu road trip across the state border to buy beer. Mike politely declined, citing his unfinished paper at home. Refusing to take no for an answer, the boy even offered Mike the shotgun seat in his tiny Triumph T6. That decision would change Mike's life forever.
Mike has written a book about his experience and life titled "The Big One." For more information, see Mike's website.
Link to his story and experience at Gaylord
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Mike Kyrsiuk: Running with the Wrong Crowd Nearly Killed Me
21:55
Officer David Petersen: Teens and Impaired Driving
23:59
Meagan Ricci: Tenacity and Faith after a Spinal Cord Injury
40:06
Amy Beckwith: How my daughter's accident and traumatic brain injury changed our lives
35:42
Matt Solomon: Making Hard Choices after Multiple Sports-Related Concussions
29:31
Caitlin Boland: A Physical Therapist's Experience Treating Patients with a Brain or Spinal Cord Injury
23:03
Dr. Alyse Sicklick: 30 Years of Caring for Patients with Brain Injury at Gaylord
34:45
Ryan Tapp: Life after a Traumatic Brain Injury
29:13