One year after the spine injury, JMS Gunnar Burns' still 'the same person'

In the bedroom of Gunnar Burns there is an elevator on the bed, a carpet square in the finished basement of the house of his family in Idlewild.

Nowadays, however, the device is not used much.

“I just sit in his wheelchair, I grab his feet and I put him on the bed,” said Gunnar's mother Leslie Burns. “And then I HEA and put it on the bed, we're done. We no longer use this big old elevator.”

Almost a year after Burns had suffered a spinal cord injury during a lacrosse playoff from James Monroe High School Young Lacrosse -Playrosse -Playoff game, he and his family are reasonably well adapted to their new reality. Some changes are more noticeable than others.

In the entrance, a white vehicle with mammoth vehicle with barrier -free, which Leslie Burns refuses, is sitting a minivan.

“It's not a minivan because I don't drive a minivan,” she said. “It's 'the beast'.”

A somewhat freshly cast concrete citizens leads from the right side of the house to the back door, where Gunnar can reach the basement without using an elevator.

Gunnar admits that he is on a different way than the one he imagined for his final year. While many of his fellow classmates – Abitur -Abiturs – preparing for the first time – he counts more than ever on Leslie, his primary supervisor.

“This is probably the worst part that rely on others,” he said. “Basically, I was completely independent, now I'm completely dependent. It is definitely frustrating.”

Last year he has the ability to go, regained the wrist strength and never gave up his joke at any time.

“I'm still the same person,” he said with a laugh. “I just can't move.”

A long way to

Oh, Gunnar had joke about hot girls in the stands, one-line, to calm his concerned coaches, barbs about EMT reaction times, which he was not on the field in Mechanicsville in May 2024, was even the slightest feeling in his extremities.

“Because I couldn't move, I couldn't feel anything,” he recalled.

A short time later in the ambulance, he felt a sip in his right arm, the first indication of mobility.

“And I said:” Damn it, it felt great, “he recalled.” Or I could feel it, but I thought, damn it, at least I can make a difference. “

In the next two weeks he spent the VCU Medical Center and in the next three months at the Shepherd Center in Atlanta, a world -famous facility that specializes in injuries to spinal cord.

When Gunnar's head hit the lawn, his neck compressed and shattered bone fragments.

“It was almost like an accordion,” said Leslie Burns.

The surgeons used a cage to reduce the pressure on the spinal cord and bring together its C3, C4, C5 and C6 vertebrae. The doctors said Gunnar that the spinal cord heals only one millimeter a day, such an incremental recovery as they come.

In the months after the operation, he recorded a countless therapy regime: electrical stimulation, physiotherapy (PT), occupational therapy (OT) and finally a Custom Strength program at Green Fitness in downtown Fredericksburg.

To date, Gunnar has not regained a fine motor movement in his hands, although his wrist strength has improved so far that he emits a fist base with some effort. SMS is not easy either, but its ankles can usually convey the point.

“They try to teach him how to move blocks from one side to the other,” said Leslie Burns about her son's recent goals in OT.

“Still part of the team”

As soon as the white minivan (sorry, leslie) had pulled on the grass plot on May 3 at the Maury Stadium when the yellow jackets made their routine before the game before the game.

“Make a photo with Gunnar,” called a trainer.

The two dozen lacrosse players didn't have to be told twice. You found the former Long Stick midfielder who was back for Senior Night. As part of the celebrations, Gunnars No. 3 was shown on the field and on a banner in the stands. The latter display, which is characterized by a decent, albeit slightly raw drawing of a wheelchair with subsequent flames.

A few minutes later, Gunnar, flanked by Leslie and his father Bobby, rolled onto the field when the Pa -Annager outlined his plans for a year in the gap while concentrating on his recovery. Then he plans to visit the VCU and pursue a career in an IT-related area.

That evening, a humid type of Friday, the Yellow Jackets were organized by the Fredericksburg Academy.

When the game started, Gunnar positioned himself directly behind the home bank, his view of the campaign disturbed from time to time from a teammate that stormed off the field. He pointed out that it was a non-district game that the coaches decided to mainly start seniors, some of which did not play in position.

“When we lose, I never come to another game,” he joked when James Monroe fell a few goals early.

However, they did not lose, and it was clear that Gunnar had not lost with his teammates despite his absence on the side this season (only a handful of games was present). As one of his legs (a frequent event) turned the closest yellow jacket to re -position his heel again at the wheelchair foot run.

“He is still part of the team,” said McLean Maynard, team -mate and best friend of Gunnar since fifth grade. “Of course he is. He is definitely part of the team and part of our Lacrosse family.”

“Still the same person”

The scene, which played in a dead end in Idlewild one afternoon last October, illustrated two things: Gunnar hates being slowed down by his injury and his friends, and his friends, well, they will never leave him behind-not metaphorically seen.

At that time, Gunnar tried a new Power Rollstuhl and wanted to test his skills. Maynard set up next to him in the attitude of a sprinter, the rest of the group counted on three and they were gone.

As it turned out, the acceleration was not the strong suit of this chair.

“This is not fair,” Gunnar grunted with a laugh when he finally got up to date.

During the school year, a group of Gunnar's friends came so consistently that Leslie Burns referred to them as “B-Day gang” and referred to the class plan in James Monroe. Maynard even stayed in Atlanta in the earliest phases of his friend's recovery.

“He is still the same person, still the same sense of humor with whom it is still great fun,” said Maynard.

Although he is young for a senior – still 17 – Gunnar had completed most of his final requirements before the injury. Annie Langdon, a school teacher of Fredericksburg City City, who takes over some budget cases for the division, visited Tuesdays and Thursdays twice a week to help him do the work for his remaining courses.

At some point, Langdon helped with college attachment-obstacle Gunnar unveiled that he shit in front of the low fruits of an input request: “What is the greatest adversities they had to overcome?”

Three days after his injury, the municipality in Fredericksburg gathered in the Maury Stadium and illuminated tea cones to pray for Gunnar's recovery. A month later, friends and classmates sat a street near Idlewild to celebrate his return home from the Shepherd Center.

And on Friday evening, Gunnar received standing ovations when he received his diploma during the final ceremony of JM at the University of Mary Washington.

“I don't think I was ever forgotten,” he said, before adding with a grin, “unfortunately.”