400 [Failed to load instagram embed] https://www.instagram.com/p/B3m66tghUvQ/?maxwidth=1000&hidecaption=1We've been keeping close tabs on Brook Macdonald's recovery and there's been another huge piece of news today as he posted a video of himself riding a bike again for the first time since his crash. Brook's injury was now nearly 50 days ago but this is a huge step for him in his recovery, coming just over two weeks after he first walked unsupported.
| Well last week I got to ride a bike for the first time since my accident and let me tell you it was the best feeling in the world. I literally couldn’t wipe the smile of my face for the next 2 days after this!—Brook Macdonald |
Brook's fundraiser is still live and can be found
here.
The original story is below:
We're now nearly 40 days on from Brook Macdonald's crash in Mont-Sainte-Anne and he's finally starting to become mobile again. This week he has twice posted footage of himself walking unassisted and seems to be in good spirits too.
Brook spent two weeks in hospital in Quebec immediately after the crash and is now currently in his 3rd week of rehab in Christchurch with 2 more to go before he can finally head home. To help his recovery he has set up a Fundraising page to ask people to help with "rehabilitation back home, transport and financial support for Lucy [his partner] as she will be looking after Brook."
The Give a Little page says: "This journey is going to be a long road for Brook and Lucy. Spinal cord injuries don’t have a significant diagnosis like any other bone in the body.
"Brook's plan is to ride again and get back to competing in World Cups with the mountain biking family he loves! Together we could help them to adapt to their new lifestyle and get back on his bike!"
The page has so far raised nearly $4,000 to help Brook with a number of donations coming from his fellow pro riders. The link is here for anyone who wishes to help out:
https://givealittle.co.nz/cause/get-bulldog-back-on-his-bike.
We'll continue to update you with news on Brook as we get it.
Something ain't right when a pro athlete needs to take donations for recovery of an injury they suffered while at the event they are competing at. Something (many things) need to be change in this amazing sport/industry.
but! i will say thats its possible that i'm the problem here and that i simply need to rejig my opinion of online fundraising so it doesn't seem so much like.. well, begging. this is what pisses me off. i feel like one of the fastest riders in the world, in our beloved sport, is having to 'beg'.
I have a hard time believing that adequate insurance coverage would not be a core consideration for any pro level athlete.
If the financial situation of this sport and these athletes is so bad that these sort of risks are being taken uncovered, you’re right something is very wrong and he deserves all the donations he can get.
His girlfriend can apply for government assistance as his primary care giver, but only once they are back home. She would not currently be considered as the primary care giver as he currently is being looked after by the rehad clinic in Christchurch (free for Brook). The amount that she could be entitled too though will be a pittance, maybe in the area of $150 to $200 a week... Good enough for a tank of gas in the car and not much else. But each case is looked at on it's merits and it could well be that the government says that they are not entitled to any care giver benefit.
She may have stepped down from her employment, had some holiday pay owing, etc, but she likely has had zero income for nearly six weeks. The bills and mortgage keep coming at you though.
Red Bull and other sponsors are likely still paying Brook some salary... If so, then his ACC payout will be reduced, or even wiped completely to zero.
Brooks sponsors however have no responsibility or requirement, morally or otherwise, to pay Lucy.
Red Bull distribution:
In 2010 the company won a long-running legal battle with The Bulldog, a chain of cannabis coffee shops. The Bulldog was ordered to cease the sale and distribution of its own brand of energy drink.[9]
CoFounder:
He co-founded the Red Bull energy drink company and holds 49% of the company's shares. As of June 2019, Mateschitz's net worth was estimated to be $19.5 billion, making him the 53rd richest person in the world.
"At Mondraker we are pleased to finally announce the members of our 2018 MS-Mondraker Team. 2018 marks our 10th Anniversary as a leading brand in the World Cup Downhill scene and it will become our 7th season (since 2012) as the main-title sponsor for the MS-Mondraker Team, led by Markus Stoeckl and Lukas Haider. We cannot be any more excited for the new racing season to come!"
Recent history ^^ from PB article www.pinkbike.com/news/ms-mondraker-team-announces-2018-riders.html
But.....if they aren't.....I wholeheartedly agree
He’s likely still pulling down a salary, but the costs of an injury, even when everything is covered, is high.
Also he’s in Burwood, a specialised spinal rehabilitation centre, a long way from his home in Hawke’s Bay. It’s on the South Island so requires flying to get there. Costs will be racking up fast for them especially if Lucy can’t work.
We could oppt for a industry fund to help out the fallen heros.
Last but not least seeing Brook on a bike again are the best news for a while.
Heal up buddy and take my coins, as I supported you right now.
I agree entirely, but let’s not forget, he was representing NZ in the race he was injured at, pretty sure the country could afford to spare more dolla than any of his sponsors, maybe even all them put together!!
And btw, I would be amazed if Red Bull didn't chip in with providing the best medical treatment they could. They have the knowlege and connections due to the Wings for live foundation.
Just a side note, medical debt sucks and I should have gotten better insurance earlier in my life so I’m speaking from personal experience lol.
I’m sincerely hoping and praying Brook will make a full recovery, but I also saw that Lucy previously mentioned “neurological deficits” from the injury (which the surgeons can often ascertain when directly viewing the nerves during surgery — seeing if certain nerves were severed by a bone fragment). “Neurological deficits,” with respect to incomplete spinal cord injuries, can mean that certain specific nerves or nerve bundles were badly damaged or possibly severed. The level at which he shattered one of his vertebra is the “cauda equina” (“the horse’s tail”) which is where the nerves come out of the upper portion of the spinal cord and begin exiting the vertebra/spine in smaller bundles that to go to their final destinations in the midsection and lower body. Brook mentioned his glutes and hamstrings were affected and weaker, which is typical for the vertebra he shattered (T12 or L1, I seem to remember). Nerve damage can prevent certain muscles or muscle groups from firing (as they don’t get the signal from the brain, or it’s a weak signal, or it only goes to a small portion of a muscle group) — thus muscle weakness and a relative imbalance of leg muscle power can result in a different gate, muscle exhaustion from lesser exertion, and a shortened and more intentional stride. Brook and I walk quite similarly, although I’ve had a few more years to develop my strength and coordination and walking speed (as it relates to my brain relearning which muscles to activate to make walking smooth and comfortable — or at least not painful).
So anyhow, nerves don’t heal like other tissue, so there’s potential that Brook might have permanently weaker legs. However, rigorous rehab, various new therapies, and/or stem cell therapy can potentially improve recovery to the point that the injury is indiscernible to other people. Additionally, the “spinal shock” aspect of certain incomplete spinal cord injuries can result in neurological improvements over hours, days, weeks, and months after the initial injury — as swelling goes down and partially-damaged nerves re-establish their electrical-signal-carrying capability from the brain, while the body also sometimes repairs partial injury to incompletely-damaged nerves. But, based on my experience and online comments from Lucy and Brook, I’m guessing that some of his neurological deficits might be permanent after a period of further incremental recovery.
So that said, let’s all keep encouraging and supporting and praying or vibing for Brook during his recovery — and hoping that it’s a full recovery while being prepared to best support him if not. If he isn’t able to make a full recovery, let’s all figure out ways to support him — as it’s SUCH a difficult thing to deal with at times (not being able to do what you love as well as you know you could otherwise). For me, I can only do 2-2.5 minutes of full-pace downhilling before my legs give out. So my racing career was cut short, but those 2-2.5 minutes are almost more exhilarating and fun and rewarding than before the spinal cord injury; I cherish every run, and every moment on the bike feels like a gift (especially doing 20,000 vertical feet in one day at Sun Peaks, which took 3 weeks of recovery after due to over-exerting the muscle groups affected by nerve damage, like my glutes, hamstrings, calves, and ankles). I hope and pray that Brook enjoys riding even more than before his spinal cord injury, and I CAN’T WAIT to see him ride again — even the first time, in a few weeks or months, when his legs might only last 1-2 minutes of hard riding.
And additionally, I’m working to introduce MTB XC, DS, and/or DH to the Paralympics, and it appears we’ll have a Paracycling category at Crankworx in 2020, at a few big race series in the US, and eventually likely the MTB World Championships and certain UCI races (likely including 4x). So we’ll likely have a Paracycling category for people who have suffered SCI, or are recovering from SCI, and similar different-abilities that adversely affect riding strength or other riding ability. I’m sure Brook’s injury will bring much-needed further attention and awareness to spinal cord injuries, especially incomplete SCI’s like his and mine which are quite rare and often misunderstood.
Brook is a great guy, and I'm sure he's going to make a recovery good enough to ride again.
Riding is tricky - I’ve broken my paralysed arm twice in the six years I’ve had the injury! So I’m now fairly cautious.
Phantom pain also took some mitigating - but a combination of magnesium, vitamin B and vitamin D have kept me off the pain killer drugs.
The prosthetist side is something I’m very interested in, and have tried a few. Have you seen Tom Wheelers stuff?
Surely, the actual process would be much more complicated than this due to the variety of countries the riders call home, but if the sports federations actually cared about athletes as humans rather than a product, I'm sure some smart pencil pusher could sort through all the red tape.
Maybe Real Madrid handles the initial treatment at the stadium, then you're basically on your own? I honestly don't know. My understanding for professional American football is that team is handling the medical expenses while you're on the team. Here's what their benefits package says:
" These benefits provide financial payouts and assistance to players who are rendered disabled by injuries suffered as a result of football-related and even non-football related activities while an NFL player. "
"With regards to medical coverage, 100% of all in-network medical costs are covered for a player and his dependents. The annual deductible for medical insurance is $600 per player and $1200 per family and coverage will extend beyond a player’s playing career with extended post-career medical and dental benefits up to a maximum of $500,000 annually per NFL team. "
Now of course the financial model for American professional football is substantially different than most sports, especially something like WC DH, but its interesting to me that the players aren't expected to need their own individual insurance policies (although I'm sure some add on supplemental coverage as well on their own dime).
Imo, I think if you're on a factory team, UCI should require said team to put the rider on a baller insurance policy given what is expected of them. Of course that may mean a little less salary for the rider or even the lack of sponsorship for some riders, but it sucks they're not covering things like this.
FWIW, Oakley picked a huge part of Lances medical tab when he was battling cancer, so perhaps theres hope that Redbull or a similarly deep pocketed sponsor will help out.
When a player gets hurt in regular sports it’s under the direct supervision of the team. A player is out there playing the position the team tells them to, running the plays the team tells him too, wearing the equipment regulated by the league, etc.
A sponsored rider is quite different. They are pretty much independent to do what they want. A rider can go as big and as fast as he wants. There’s no company coach telling him what what lines he has to take or what features to hit etc. All this makes the question of responsibility for injuries a lot less clear in sponsor driven sports.
Jean Girard 12 hours ago
Keep working and smiling my bro ! Lot of thought for both of you. strength with you
Amaury? Hilarious. And awesome to see these riders supporting each other. Injury is not fun, and sometimes scary - it's amazing to see Brook so positive.
weird world we live in
1) I'd like to see the teams have a short term/ long term disability insurance plan as a requirement or simply removed from one's salary so it's always there. I don't want to knock a man when he is down, but it's not the general public's responsibility to cover an individual when you are living the dream on your own accord and shit happens; no more than it's the responsibility of the public to pay for my injuries for the decisions that I made, and there have been plenty, all financially crippling.
2) Brook won't be the same, mentally or physically. I had a similar injury and it really effects your 'edge'. I know he will try again, everyone does, but the results and the will to hang it out won't be there in my experience.
Good luck Brook!
But yes, the give a little page is to help out Lucy whom has had to take unpaid leave and/or quit her job to look after Brook...an unpaid position! Just like UK NHS, the NZ health care system and ACC is meaning that the majority of Brook's healthcare is paid for (he's likely only paying $5 for a medicine prescription for pain killers, if anything, but will pay for GP visits (about $40-50NZD) once he leaves the spinal unit).
I doubt that they will read the comments and go 'Wow, all those people are right. He shouldn't need to do this. Lets back his recovery 100%".
Go and click a donation through to him and then move on knowing that you have done something positive.
They just want to push away responsibility. They just point fingers at the "people above".
Stoked to see you back on a bike!
iam grateful i had insurance to cover everything.
Amen
Glad he's recovering and seems to be in good spirits with a sense of humor
2) He understands the risks of racing DH at the WC level. He should have had insurance/a plan in case the worst happens.
3) He is not entitled to more money from his sponsors just because he crashed. With the amount of negative press Redbull is getting, do you think they will bother sponsoring riders in the future that aren't consistently at the highest level of the field/winning races?
4) Did you donate?
5) Why are you brow-beating others if you haven't? Probably because you didn't donate.
such a contagious smile
2) He understands the risks of racing DH at the WC level. He should have had insurance/a plan in case the worst happens.
3) He is not entitled to more money from his sponsors just because he crashed. With the amount of negative press Redbull is getting, do you think they will bother sponsoring riders in the future that aren't consistently at the highest level of the field/winning races?
4) Did you donate?
5) Why are you brow-beating others if you haven't? Probably because you didn't donate.
2) He understands the risks of racing DH at the WC level. He should have had insurance/a plan in case the worst happens.
3) He is not entitled to more money from his sponsors just because he crashed. With the amount of negative press Redbull is getting, do you think they will bother sponsoring riders in the future that aren't consistently at the highest level of the field/winning races?
4) Did you donate?
5) Why are you brow-beating others if you haven't? Probably because you didn't donate.
2) He understands the risks of racing DH at the WC level. He should have had insurance/a plan in case the worst happens.
3) He is not entitled to more money from his sponsors just because he crashed. With the amount of negative press Redbull is getting, do you think they will bother sponsoring riders in the future that aren't consistently at the highest level of the field/winning races?
4) Did you donate?
5) Why are you brow-beating others if you haven't? Probably because you didn't donate.