Johnny Waddell Update - Grim News
of new information to report except for the last couple of days. Irene (John's mom) and I had been back in Quebec, waiting and working with
John. At the same time I had been contacted by an old acquaintance after he
heard the story of John on the Internet. This old acquaintance it so
happens is a friend one of the best neurologists in the world. We arranged
to fly out the neurologist, Dr. Peter Cassini, who is on staff at Stanford
University Medical Center, to look John over before John was flown back to
Australia.
Irene (John's mom) and I had been back in Quebec, waiting and working with
John. At the same time I had been contacted by an old acquaintance after he
heard the story of John on the Internet. This old acquaintance it so
happens is a friend one of the best neurologists in the world. We arranged
to fly out the neurologist, Dr. Peter Cassini, who is on staff at Stanford
University Medical Center, to look John over before John was flown back to
Australia.
I spoke with Irene on Saturday night about John's condition, but was finally
able to speak to Dr. Cassini this morning, so I finally have enough
information to give everyone the latest update.
John's condition is worse than what we previously thought. Dr. Cassini had
access to all of John's medical records, and was able to look them over.
There were some things he spotted on the scans that were not previously
noticed.
Some of the injuries to John's brain are on the inside, and are not just
limited to the surface. Because of this, his prognosis for recovery is not
as positive as we had previously hoped. In short, John will have some
permanent damage from his crash that will be with him for life. Exactly how
bad it will be is really still up in the air.
When one has an injury to the brain like John's, the damage that occurs
relates to the connective tissue that transfers information from one's brain
to their body. In the condition that John is in, his brain is repairing
those connective tissues, and until his brain has completely healed, we will
not know the final extent of the damage and what type of recovery that we
can expect from him.
On the short side, John will not compete again, at least not at the level he
has in the past. How close his speech, personality and motor skills return
to their normal pre-crash state will not be known for 6-12 months. In three
months they will perform another scan on John's brain after it has
completely healed, and they will be able to see what areas of John's brain
have had permanent damage. After that it will give us a much clearer view
of where his progress will go.
Obviously, this is a lot worse than what we had all previously believed.
And while it is extremely hard for all of us, there are a few things I would
like to point out.
His care at the hospital was good. The things missed on his scan were
nothing that, if known, would have made a difference in John's condition
right now. Brain injuries, as many people including Doctor Cassini have
pointed out, are basically an open book. The brain is so complex and
unknown, that everyone's recovery rate is different. All prognoses are
based on previous case information, and cannot take into account a
person's will, spirit, and their own individual case and particular details.
As we speak John and his mother are flying back to Australia where John will
begin his road to recovery. Support and the power of positive thinking, and
energy, can make a huge difference. What I saw of Johnny and his mother
during my time in Quebec show me that there is not a person on the planet
that has more will, or a better chance at recovering to the fullest extent
than John does. Whatever energy all of you put into John's situation, I hope
that it is positive, and directed at supporting him in his recovery.
I would like to personally thank all of you for the support and concern you
have shown after John's crash, and to everyone that has helped make a
difference. There are so many people to thank, including race
organizations, friends, and family. I would especially like to thank Kelli
at the UCI, Michael Phillips for facilitating Dr. Cassini's involvement in
John¹ situation, and Dr. Cassini himself for taking the time to rearrange
his schedule and travel on a few days notice.
And I can't say enough about Rob at Santa Cruz who has spared no effort or
expense at making sure John has had the very best of everything since his
crash.
I will continue to talk to John's mom, and keep everyone updated as best I
can. John's mom will be getting some internet contact information set up
when she returns home, so I will keep everyone updated on that so that she
can forward well wishes to John and keep everyone informed.
Anyone wishing to send anything to John in Australia can do so at the
address below.
Thank you,
Derin Stockton
Team Director
ITS/Santa Cruz
John Waddell
86 Gerald Street
Spearwood
Western Australia
6163
