TBI dad in friendly competition with toddler son

Ryan Brock jokes he’s in a friendly competition with his 14-month-old son. "He’s only walking two or three steps at a time and I’m walking hundreds of steps at a time," says Brock. All kidding aside, one of the 29-year-old’s goals is learning how to walk correctly after suffering a traumatic brain injury in late December. He was driving his pickup north of Columbus, Nebraska when slick roads caused him to collide with a manure spreader outside of town. Firefighters and paramedics used the Jaws of Life to cut him out of his vehicle. Soon after, he was flown to Nebraska Medicine for emergency surgery. Just one day after waking up, Brock was communicating, much to the surprise of his trauma team. “The doctor and nurses were flabbergasted when I started writing full words and sentences as soon as they could move the paper in front of me,” recalls Brock.

One inside the walls of Madonna, Brock continued to progress rapidly with his specialized therapy program. His positive attitude along with the combination of speech, occupational and physical therapy has helped him make huge strides in his recovery. “The more effort I put in the harder they’ll drive to make sure I keep getting better faster.”

In addition, specialized equipment like the Ekso and FES bike are helping to regain function in his left arm and leg. Brock is now back home with his family and looking forward to start the Madonna Outpatient Rehabilitation Day Program. As for the bet with Levi, “I’m still kind of teasing him that I’m beating him, but he’s giving me a real run for my money.”