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4 SCHOLASTIC SCOPE MAY 2017


I Wanted
My Life
Back A snowboarding accident left 13-year-old Nick Ventura unable
to talk or walk. That would not be the end of his story.
AS YOU READ Think about what helped Nick heal.
O
n a cold day in early 2011, Nick Ventura,
then 13, opened his eyes in a hospital bed.
He had no idea where he was. He opened
his mouth, but he could not speak. He
had lost his ability to walk. He couldnt imagine
why he was in this hospital. The last thing he
remembered was being on his beloved snowboard,
speeding down a mountain in upstate New York.
Something terrible had happenedthat much
Nick knew. He had a sense that the life he knew was
gone. Now he wondered, would he ever get it back?
An Easy Run
A few weeks earlier, Nick had been a happy
middle schooler with lots of friends and a passion
for sports, especially snowboarding. For Nick,
nothing was more exhilarating than speeding down
Nonfiction
BY KRISTIN LEWIS
a hill on his board. And thats just what he was
doing on a bright February day in 2011.
Hed gone with friends to Holimont Ski Resort, a
few hours from his home in Ohio. The sky was blue,
the snow soft, and the air pleasantly crisp. Nick
hopped on his board and sailed down the side of the
mountain, feeling invincible.
It was an easy run for him. But then something
went wrong. No one is sure exactly what happened,
but Nicks board likely got tripped up in the
snow. He fell to the ground, hitting his head. Now
unconscious, he went tumbling off the trailpicking
up speeduntil he slammed into a tree.
Seconds ticked by.
Nick did not wake up.
His friends wondered what had happened. They
had all started the run together, then Nick had
seemed to vanish. They had no idea that he
was all aloneand gravely hurt.
SCOPE.SCHOLASTIC.COM MAY 2017 5

How Safe Is
Snowboarding?
In 2015, there
were more than
4.3 million
snowboarders in
the U.S. There were
7 fatalities and 14
serious injuries.*
Critical Injuries
Mark Schultz, a senior ski
patroller, heard someone shouting
that a snowboarder was in trouble.
A high school principal and
volunteer firefighter, Schultz sprang
to action. As his fellow patrollers
raced into the woods, Schultz went
to get oxygen, then headed into the
woods himself.
Within a minute of the crash, the
patrol team had found Nick and
were working to save his life.
Schultz knew that Nicks injuries
were critical; Nicks rattling breath
was an indicator that death was
near. Schultz gave Nick oxygen
while the others loaded him into
a toboggan and carefully pulled
him down the hill to the patrol
center, where injured skiers and
snowboarders can be assisted.
Nobody knew who this gravely
injured boy wasNick wasnt
carrying an IDbut they did know
he needed to get to the hospital
6 SCHOLASTIC SCOPE MAY 2017
Their son had been in an accident,
he was in the hospital, and he was
fighting for his life.
Brian and Patty dropped
everything and ran to their car.
It should have been a three-hour
drive to the hospital in Buffalo,
New York. But snowstorms that day
would make the trip longer. Brian
and Patty set off, not knowing if
they would ever see their son alive
again.
immediately.
None of us The Wait
thought he was going to At the Women and Childrens
make it, ski patroller Sherry Hartel Hospital of Buffalo, Nick was
says. He was in such bad shape. rushed into surgery. His skull was
High winds made it impossible fractured, and he had contusions,
to transport Nick to the or bruises, on his brain.
tktktktkt Usam, si
hospital by helicopter. The force of the
unt. Vel ea sitias
He would have NEARLY crash had slammed
maximped quaspiendi
to be taken by 500,000 KIDS his brain forward
sunt ationsed maios
ambulance, are treated in emergency and backward
doluptius expla
which would take rooms for traumatic brain against his skull
an agonizing 45 injuries each year. Thats with enormous
minutes. enough to fill 5,000 force, causing a
**STATISTICS FROM THE CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTIONS HEADS UP CAMPAIGN
As they sped school buses.** traumatic brain
to the nearest injury, or TBI.
emergency room, Nicks These injuries are
*NATIONAL SPORTING GOODS ASSOCIATION, NATIONAL SKI AREAS ASSOCIATION
condition continued to invisible from the
deteriorate. outsidebut they are
incredibly serious.
In Danger Your brain controls every aspect
By this point, the patrol team of your body. It tells your heart to
back at Holimont had made a call beat and your stomach to digest the
on Nicks phone to the contact sandwich you ate for lunch. It tells
marked Dad. Nicks parents, your body to walk, talk, and dance.
Brian and Patty Ventura, were To accomplish these amazing
in Cleveland, where the family feats, your brain uses chemicals
lived. They had no idea that their and electrical impulses to
sons snowboarding trip had gone communicate with the rest of your
terribly wrong. They were grocery body.
shopping when they got the call: Basically, the brain is like your
 HELMET DOS & DONTS
Helmets dont protect against all types of head injuries, but they can make a
big difference in a fall or crash. Whether you snowboard, skateboard, or cycle,
here is what you need to know.
DO replace a helmet if it has been involved in a crash. DO NOT paint, put stickers on, or decorate a helmet
DO store helmets away from direct sunlight in a place without checking with the manufacturer.
that doesnt get too hot or cold. DO NOT use a helmet that hasnt been certified for
DO wear the right helmet for your sport. meeting safety standards. Check the helmet for a label.

bodys computer. In Nicks case, it
was as if someone had unplugged
every cord in his head.
Nicks doctors did all they could.
They gave him powerful medicines
that put him into a coma. This
would let his brain rest and begin
to heal.
Nicks doctors did not know if he
would survive. But it was good that
Nick had been wearing his helmet.
Without it, he almost certainly
would have died in the snow.
When Nicks parents arrived at
last, doctors told them the outlook
was grim. There was nothing they
could do but wait and pray.
Weeks passed, and Nicks
parents remained at his side.
A Long Road Nick required intensive medical care in the hospital.
CREDITS
Thenat lastcame the moment
when Nick opened his eyes.
Road to Recovery
Nick had no memory of
the accident or how he got to
the hospital. The last thing he
remembered was snowboarding at
Holimont. Now he could not walk
and he could barely speak. He didnt
even remember the name of his best
friend.
Nick faced a long and uncertain
road to recovery.
Six weeks after the accident,
Nick was moved to Cleveland
Clinic Childrens, a hospital in
Ohio. Instead of spending his days
at school, Nick spent his days in
rehabilitation. An occupational
therapist helped him relearn how to
do everyday tasksfrom holding a
pencil to getting up from a chair. A
physical therapist helped him learn
to walk again. A speech therapist
worked with him to regain language.
In June, though, his vocabulary
remained limited to about five
words.
The hardest part was relearning
how to talk, Nick says. Speech is
so natural, but the second you lose
it, you dont know what to do.
He had good days and bad
days. Sometimes Nick would get
frustrated if he wasnt making
progress quickly enough.
Being in the hospital was
torture, he says. This was not the
life I wanted to live.
But ask anyone close to Nick
and they will tell you he is nothing
if not determined. He never stops
fighting, says ski patroller Hartel,
who has gotten to know Nick since
helping treat him at Holimont. He
has that strong spirit that keeps him
moving forward. No matter what
roadblock he ends up coming across
in his life, he finds a way around it.

Not everyone who sustains an

SCOPE.SCHOLASTIC.COM MAY 2017 7

injury as serious as Nicks gets Back on the Board
betterbut Nick was fortunate. Day Right: Nick and Mark Schultz
on the sixth anniversary of
by grueling day, he was improving.
the accident. Inset: Nick
today, at college.
Back to School
While Nick was in the hospital, Nick says. My mom owns a
he realized that what he wanted cheerleading gym, so I had
more than anything was to them behind me as well,
snowboard again. saying, Go Nick. You can
I loved being on the slopes, do this.
Nick says. It felt like home.
Getting on a snowboard might One Year After
seem like a preposterous goal for In February 2012, one
someone in his condition, but year after his accident, Nick majoring in education, and he
to Nick it made perfect once again stood in the snow hopes to become a teacher and
sense. I saw my life at Holimont Ski Resort. travel the world.
before, and I wanted He held the snowboard With his family, Nick started
my life back, Nick says. from his crash. Friends, the 11 Foundation, which offers
So I just worked family, and members support and information to
toward that. of the ski patrol team families that have children with
WEARING
Nick was finally that rescued him TBIs. Through the organization,
A HELMET
able to leave the gathered around Nick shares his story and talks
can protect your
hospital in June, him. Watching him about the importance of wearing a
head during falls
though he would move with confidence helmet.
and crashes.
need therapy for and ease, they could Since the accident, Schultz has
the next few years. hardly believe that just one become close with Nick and his
In the fall, he returned to year ago he was fighting for his family. This is a young man who
eighth grade at Lakewood Catholic life. had to relearn how to walk, talk,
Academy. Nick felt no fear as he sailed down and function, says Schultz. And
Going to school all day, then the snow on his snowboard. he did it with grace, drive, and
spending his evenings doing Everything just fell into place, with just work.
two hours of therapy on top of he remembers. As for Nick?
homework took all his energy. But He still snowboards whenever
he had support from his friends, Looking Ahead he can.
teachers, and family. Today, Nick is completing And he has a special message
They were behind me the whole his first year at St. Bonaventure for you: Dont ever give up. There
time, giving me encouragement, University in New York. He is is always another day.
WRITING CONTEST
Actor Christopher Reeve once said, A hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to
persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles. According to Reeves definition, is
Nick Ventura a hero? Explain. Use text evidence to support your answer. Send your essay to
NICK CONTEST. Five winners will get The Running Dream by Wendelin Van Draanen.
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8 SCHOLASTIC SCOPE MAY 2017