A Montpelier high schooler who overcame a serious BMX accident recently shared his story with the Stryker Rotary Club.
While vacationing in Arizona in July 2016, Dakota Gillett and a friend participated in a BMX competition. While riding, Gillett, age 16 at the time, flipped his bike and landed on his neck and left side.
Immediately after gaining consciousness, he discovered that he was paralyzed with no feeling from his neck down. He would later learn that his neck was broken in two places.
In the Arizona hospital, during surgery, Gillett stopped breathing. He told Rotarians that, for a time, he witnessed heaven and was talking with his grandparents and family members who had passed. They encouraged him to work hard and walk again, he said.
After the surgery, his condition began to improve. He first started breathing on his own and, after multiple surgeries (including his initial 11-hour surgery) and 30 days in the Arizona hospital, Gillett returned east — first to the Shriners Hospital in Chicago and then to the University of Toledo Medical Center.
“At UTMC, they cared about me and challenged me,” Gillett said.
He had two initial goals: to walk again and to ride a bike on his own.
In October 2016, Gillett walked out of the hospital on his own. He later relearned how to ride a bike.
His teacher, Larry Soles, said that, “Dakota has a great attitude. He never stops trying.”
Gillett now attends Four County Career Center in Archbold, where he takes power sports classes.
His future plans include studying advanced motor sports at either Ohio Technical College in Cleveland or University of Northwestern Ohio in Lima. He plans to work on high-performance engines and someday possibly own his own business.
(Information courtesy of Stryker Rotary Club)
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