{"id":20977,"date":"2019-01-31T10:27:40","date_gmt":"2019-01-31T17:27:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/?p=20977"},"modified":"2025-03-07T09:28:57","modified_gmt":"2025-03-07T16:28:57","slug":"trauma-ready-care-just-minutes-away","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/trauma-ready-care-just-minutes-away\/","title":{"rendered":"Trauma-ready care just minutes away"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>

Dan McFarland, 40, had been riding motorcycles since he was 19. He loved his black 2015 Harley Sportster.<\/p>\n

On a nice June evening, McFarland headed over to the home of John Lawley to tinker on motorcycles in the garage. Dan had just dropped off his 10-year-old child, Jasper, at a movie theater to see Jurassic World with John\u2019s wife and child.<\/p>\n

\"Dan
Dan McFarland and his child with Melanie, 10-year-old Jasper, enjoy time together four months after Dan’s motorcycle crash that nearly took his life. Photo courtesy of the McFarland family.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The two dads worked in the garage on John\u2019s 1995 Honda Shadow, a bike that Dan had sold to John, his friend for more than 20 years, a few years prior.<\/p>\n

Late that night, while the kids and John\u2019s wife were still at the movies, Dan and John decided to take a short ride to test the repairs they had made. A few minutes before 10 p.m., they headed down County Road 1 in Longmont \u2014 a nice open road \u2014 when an SUV took an illegal left turn. John hit the SUV first, then Dan\u2019s bike collided.<\/p>\n

Down the road at UCHealth Longs Peak Hospital<\/strong><\/h2>\n

A half-mile down the road at UCHealth Longs Peak Hospital<\/a>,<\/u> operating room nurses and technicians had conducted regular practice drills since opening in November 2017, so they\u2019d be ready for any trauma. As a Level III trauma center<\/a>, LPH isn\u2019t required to have a neurosurgeon on call 24\/7, but hospital leaders decided a few months earlier that such a service was vital in caring for their community.<\/p>\n

\"\"
UCHealth Longs Peak Hospital in Longmont, Colorado. Photo by UCHealth.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

That night, Longmont EMS rushed Dan to the hospital, where Dr. Derek Leopold<\/a> was the trauma surgeon on call. Leopold quickly placed a call for Dr. Tripp Nanney, the on-call neurosurgeon, to come to the hospital. If Dan had any chance, Dr. Nanney would be instrumental.<\/p>\n

Responding quickly<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Upon arrival, Dan was comatose and demonstrating signs of brainstem herniation, which occurs when brain tissue moves inside the skull, in this case, pushed by an expanding brain clot and swelling, Nanney explained. The injury is very serious because it affects the part of the brain that controls breathing and heartbeat. If that area of the brain is compressed, it can be deadly.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s an absolute emergency once that is happening, and we have to operate as soon as possible,\u201d he said. \u201cWe made an incision on one side of the head and took off the side of his skull to allow the brain to have room to swell. It relieves that pressure in the head, and then we are also able to wash out that clot at the same time, which was the cause of all of this.\u201d<\/p>\n

After the motorcycle crash<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Melanie McFarland got the call about the crash just before 11 p.m. She arrived at the hospital within minutes. Dan was in surgery and would be for hours, into the early morning. When Dan\u2019s mom arrived, Melanie left the hospital to go pick up Jasper at John\u2019s home. Melanie was still unsure what had happened to Dan\u2019s friend, but she arrived at their home at the same time as a police officer, who came with sad news. John had died in the crash.<\/p>\n

Melanie and Jasper headed back to LPH to find out that her husband was still alive.<\/p>\n

\"family
The McFarland family from left, Melanie, Jasper and Dan. Photo courtesy of the McFarland family.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cWe saved his life,\u201d Nanney said. \u201cThis was a team effort and a new hospital that rose to the occasion.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dan, a self-taught information technology guru, made it through the first surgery, but he would need more surgery to stay alive. He was transported by UCHealth Lifeline<\/a> helicopter to UCHealth Medical Center of the Rockies<\/a>, a Level II trauma center in Loveland.<\/p>\n

Somehow, in her shock and grief for John, Melanie managed to begin writing Dan a letter.<\/p>\n

Melanie and Dan<\/strong><\/h2>\n

She was inspired by \u201c50 First Dates,\u201d a movie in which Adam Sandler\u2019s character creates a video to help his girlfriend, played by Drew Barrymore, remember what\u2019s happened in her life after she suffered a traumatic brain injury. Every day, Melanie chronicled their journey, writing about Dan\u2019s condition, his visitors and her own thoughts. In time, the letters, photos and other memorabilia, were placed in a book that she hoped she would share one day with Dan.<\/p>\n

Melanie had worked with TBI patients before in social services roles \u2014 a career path she believes was preparing her for the rollercoaster ahead.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d seen a lot of brain injuries, and I always thought if that ever happened to me, I\u2019d want them to let me die \u2013 but it was different when it was Dan,\u201d she said. \u201cI wanted and needed him to fight.\u201d<\/p>\n

Melanie and Dan married more than 11 years ago and had a child, Jasper. But five years into the marriage, they divorced. They recently rekindled their romance, and Melanie had moved back in with Dan.<\/p>\n

\"dan
About six months after a motorcycle crash that resulted in several brain surgeries and orthopedic work on his leg, Dan McFarland has recently returned to practicing Kung Fu at Pai Lum White Dragon Martial Arts in Longmont. Photo by Joel Blocker Photography.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The book and Facebook page<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Melanie created a Facebook support group called United We Stand for Lawley and McFarland, which she used to update friends and family on Dan\u2019s condition and to rally the community to attend memorial rides and fundraisers to support the two families.<\/p>\n

Five days after the accident, Melanie wrote that Dan opened his eyes for the first time. She also shared a photo of him.<\/p>\n

Two days later, she wrote more on Facebook, a thank you note to the amazing staff at MCR. \u201cThe nurses are so amazing; I just can\u2019t say that enough. We have a very long road ahead of us and we appreciate all your continued support, love, prayers and thoughts.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n

The support from nurses, friends and family helped her and her family, including Dan\u2019s 21-year-old daughter, through the first few days, and weeks that followed.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wouldn\u2019t have been any amount of sane without the incredible ICU nurses,\u201d she said. \u201cThe nursing staff made the difference for me as a caregiver. I always knew what was going on.<\/p>\n

\u201cI remember when Dan\u2019s vitals were all over the place,\u201d she continued. \u201cI watched his nurse doing everything and thought, \u2018We are definitely in the right place.\u2019 \u201d<\/p>\n

Each day, Melanie wrote letters or posted on Facebook. On June 30 \u2014 10 days after the crash \u2014 a memorial service was held for John.<\/p>\n

She tucked John\u2019s funeral service program and newspaper clippings about the accident into her book. Sharing the news with Dan would have to wait.<\/p>\n

\u201cI couldn\u2019t lose my cool,\u201d she said. \u201cI had to keep positive. And I was very cautious about the energy in his room and what we talked about.\u201d<\/p>\n

Finally stable<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\"Dan
Dan McFarland\u2019s scar where his skull had to be removed to save his life, is visible as he practices Kung Fu at Pai Lum White Dragon Martial Arts in Longmont. Photo by Joel Blocker Photography.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Four weeks after arriving at the hospital, Dan was finally in \u201cstable\u201d condition. A few days later, hundreds of people gathered at a memorial motorcycle event held to benefit the families.<\/p>\n

With Dan\u2019s physical body healing the way it should, the McFarlands needed to address the damage caused by his TBI. Dan was transferred to Craig Hospital in Denver. It was then, more than six weeks after the crash, that Melanie decided to share the book.<\/p>\n

Dan\u2019s first reaction was to comfort Melanie. He had finally seen all that she\u2019d been through during the days at his side. But as the days passed, and Dan continued to look at the book, the emotional reality of losing his friend set in. In his grief, Melanie saw strength.<\/p>\n

The next day, Melanie saw Dan\u2019s personality return, marking a turning point in his recovery. She started to again see that \u201cstubborn but silly, goofy dork that I loved so much.\u201d<\/p>\n

At Craig Hospital<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Dan still had a lot of recovering to do. He could dress himself, but because the injury affected the right side of his brain, he\u2019d do things differently, such as brushing only the teeth on his left side.<\/p>\n

\"dan
Dan McFarland, left, practices kung fu with Sifu Mark Dill, an instructor at Pai Lum White Dragon Martial Arts in Longmont. Only about six months after a traumatic brain injury from a motorcycle crash, McFarland has returned to work as a computer programmer and to the activities he loves. Photo by Joel Blocker Photography.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The whiteboard in his hospital room reminded him every day where he was. And just like in the Sandler movie, Melanie would have the same conversations with him almost daily. He also had a limited concept of time, she said, chuckling, \u201cOne day he called me 72 times.\u201d<\/p>\n

On Sept. 7, 2018, Dan was well enough to go home. About a month later, he was cleared to go back to work part time while he continued therapy and was also cleared to drive.<\/p>\n

\"Dan
Since Dan McFarland\u2019s motorcycle crash that put him in the hospital for 11 weeks, he\u2019s returned to doing the things his love, and his family has joined him, Jasper, left, and Melanie, right, at Pai Lum White Dragon Martial Arts in Longmont. Photo by Joel Blocker Photography.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Physical therapy<\/h2>\n

Dan\u2019s recovery is nothing if not miraculous, considering that at one point, he couldn\u2019t breathe on his own. He battled for five weeks at MCR, six weeks at Craig Hospital and returned to MCR for 20 days of outpatient speech, physical and occupational therapies.<\/p>\n

When he arrived at MCR rehabilitation, he was in a wheelchair, and then progressed to a walker, a quad cane and a cane. When he hadn\u2019t yet been cleared to return to one of his passions, kung fu, he started tai chi to improve his balance \u2013 physically and mentally.<\/p>\n

\"Dan
UCHealth physical therapist Rashmita Patel times Dan McFarland as he completes his last day of physical therapy at UCHealth Medical Center of the Rockies after his motorcycle crash five months before. Photo by Kati Blocker, UCHealth.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

During Dan\u2019s last therapy appointment, Melanie asked, almost in disbelief: \u201cCan you believe he\u2019s teaching himself to play the piano and has started tai chi?\u201d<\/p>\n

Long road home<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Dan still gets tired easily but he feels fortunate that most of his challenges are physical in nature.<\/p>\n

\u201cI still have a long way to go,\u201d Dan said.<\/p>\n

He\u2019s always been a \u201cbig-picture\u201d thinker, an information technology expert who monitors government-run systems. Now, he\u2019s back to work, back with his family and back with his wife. They plan to get remarried this summer.<\/p>\n

Dan is still coping with the loss of his friend, John, and that will certainly require more healing time.<\/p>\n

For every day, though, he is grateful.<\/p>\n

\u201cEverything that happened to me was so miraculous that I\u2019m like, \u2018OK, what am I going to do with this?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Dan McFarland, 40, had been riding motorcycles since he was 19. He loved his black 2015 Harley Sportster. On a nice June evening, McFarland headed over to the home of John Lawley to tinker on motorcycles in the garage. 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