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2 The Canadian Statesman, Bowmanville, Wednesday, July 27,1994 Survivor of Broken Neck Recounts Tragic Accident by Lorraine Manfredo July 26, 1989, should have been a perfect day at the beach for Don Elbom and his friends. But the warm, sunny afternoon quickly darkened when Don took a T \ x final plunge into Lake Ontario, he cither dove or was knocked by a wave, but when he hit bottom, his neck broke. On the fifth anniversary of the accident that paralyzed him, Don El bom is grateful for the sharp eyes and quick actions of his friends. "I think I wouldn't be here if it weren't for them," he says. Elbom hopes to impress on others others the importance of water safety, ... bowmanville resident Don Elbom (top right) didn't know whether he would walk again when he woke up in a Toronto hospital five years ago. He had broken his neck diving into the lake at West Side beach. He managed to recover with the support of family and friends. The three women who saved him from drowning that day have his undying gratitude: (from upper left) Bonnie Wubolt, Rhonda Gordon and, his wife, Pat Elbom. Blimp Gives Clients Bird's Eye View ± SHOPPERS S DRUG MART, Especially now, in the middle of the time hospital workers often refer to as "trauma season." He can't quite express the gratitude gratitude he feels for the friends and medical staff he calls heroes. "We were just swimming at the West Side beach, the usual stuff -- fooling around with the kids in the water." he recalls. "When I dove, I ended up hitting the bottom. And that, from what I have been told, broke the fifth vertebra vertebra in my neck." Still conscious, he floated to the surface and remembers thinking only how shallow and clear the water water was. Somehow, it didn't sink in that he couldn't move a muscle. His instincts told him to hold his breath, which he did until he passed out. From the beach, Rhonda Sellers (now Gordon) noticed he had been motionless far too long She alerted her sister, Pat, Don's girlfriend, who rushed out to get him. "I remember thinking how cold the water was," Pat says. "When I turned him over I couldn't believe the color he was. He was blue. His lips were purple." He had been in the water perhaps four minutes. Pat's other sister, Bonnie, yelled for someone to phone an ambulance. ambulance. As soon as she knew help was on the way, she raced back to where Don had been dragged unconscious unconscious on the shore. , A crowd had gathered and someone someone suggested turning Don over to drain the water from his lungs. Bonnie Bonnie arrived in time to protest. She feared moving him might complicate complicate his injuries. No one on the beach was trained in CPR, so Bonnie did her best mouth to mouth resuscitation from memories of childhood lessons. To her great relief, Don started coughing up water. He regained consciousness just before the ambulance ambulance arrived. OPEN CIVIC HOLIDAY Mon., August 1st, '94 BOWMANVILLE MALL 623-2546 11A.M.-4 P.M. From page one terned after the famous Goodyear model. However, the real groundbreaking groundbreaking came in designing the camera camera on Bertha's belly. Suspended near the nose, a video camera smaller than a lipstick tube views the landscape through the reflex reflex mirror of a medium-format Rol- lci camera. The cameras are linked to a battery pack and wireless transmitter transmitter at the tail. As far as 600 feet below, the operator operator can frame up his subject via a groundstation monitor linked to the video. Before releasing the shutter on the Rollei, a complete horizontal spin or a 180-dcgree vertical tilt can be achieved. , j "We're probably the only system in North America that's fully wireless. wireless. Other systems run a wire down the cord," Kowal says. "Our photographs are different from airplane photography because they are really detailed. When you fly by in an airplane you only have a few seconds to take the picture. And airplanes can only come down to a couple of thousand feet." Along with Bertha, the pair also carry a 45-foot telescopic tripod. Instead Instead of a camera bag, they haul a mailer, which houses the folded tripod tripod and fully-inflated blimp The tripod is ideal for farm house photography, Neal Cane says. Most farmers like to have a photo of their property updated every few years, he says, especially to record new structures or new crops. Seeks In addition to the custom farm photography, Aerostat Aerial is attracting attracting more diverse clientele. "We were hired recently by a Georgina Township citizens' committee committee organized to fight having a landfill in their community," says Cane. "We raised the blimp up to the proposed height of the landfill and shot the entire horizon so the people would be able to see which houses would see the dump." Aerostat Aerial is also hired to record the progress of bridges, roads, and buildings under construction, construction, as well as pumping stations, water treatment plants and archeological archeological sites. Nomination Don Elbom was fitted with a halo after breaking his neck He recalls little of the ride to Memorial Memorial Hospital or his subsequent transfer to Sunnybrook. He awoke with a metal halo bolted bolted to his skull. "I was paralyzed from the neck down," he said. But he was still too numb and too heavily medicated to realize the extent of the damage. By the time his faculties returned, returned, he was showing signs of recovery. recovery. "After three or four days, I felt one of my fingers moving. The nurse couldn't see it move. But when she held my hand she felt movement inside." Soon Don started experiencing hypersensitivity in his skin. He started started moving his toes and hands and slowly started gaining feeling in his legs and arms. His hospital room-mate, recovering recovering from a diving accident that paralyzed paralyzed his left side, fed Don when the nurses couldn't. Don remembers being moved to tears when his boss promised to hold his job. His family rallied by his side as well, and Don admits he didn't expect expect that kind of support. "I did a lot of crying because of that kind of stuff and the uncertainty of not knowing if I was going to come out of it." By September he was able to walk along the beach where the accident accident happened. His brush with complete paralysis paralysis left him with impaired fine motor motor skills, an appreciation of his rescuers, rescuers, and a keen knowledge about the dangers of diving, even into familiar familiar waters. From year to year, lake and river bottoms change. The water level is not always the same. Teenagers who have had a growth spurt over the winter may misjudge the depth off a familiar dock. He and his wife, Pat, plan to teach their 10-week old son, Joshua, all about water safely. "I'm thankful that there are people people out there who go out of their way to help people and wind up heroes." heroes." J.E. QUANTR1LL • CHEVROLET • GEO • OLDSMOBILE • CADILLAC LTD. Hwy. #2, East End of Port Hope is pleased to announce that Lisa Quantrill has rejoined its sales and leasing team. !. 885-4573 ■ Frotfi Page One Largest Country Market East of Toronto! FRESH ONTARIO PRODUCE from our ' Farmers' Market " k 2,August 6 and 7 ^Anniversary Celebration ^ - Featuring - SATURDAY SUNDAY ■ Peter Zezel from the Toronto Maple Leafs ■ Performance by "Down__ on Corner Gang" • Corn Roast with FREE_ Corn on the Cob •Jim Parker Show from Mr. Dressup • Washboard Hank and the Honkers Open Every Weekend - Rain or Shine HWY. #2 . N ■1 DC HI BLOOR ST. o F HWY. 401 ♦- OSHAWA 5 o LOCATED 30 MINUTES EAST OF TORONTO Exit 401 at Courtice Rd. Go north and follow signs. Saturday 9:30 a.m. - 4 p.m. Sunday 9:30 a.m. - 5 p.m. © bowmanville-» Vendor Information 436-1024 board to reform Ontario's educational educational system. "We must also drastically drastically reduce the number of dropouts in high school and provide more technological training," he says. Adult learning, the survival of the farm community and the strengthening of family values arc also among the prospective candidate's candidate's aims. In addition to being active in a number of fraternal lodges and charitable charitable organizations in Durham, George Khouri has served in several Liberal associations. He is a past member of the Board of Directors and delegate of the federal Ontario Riding Liberal Association and is a past director of the provincial Durham Durham West Liberal Association. He campaigned actively for numerous numerous Liberal MPs and cabinet ministers, including Hon. Herb Gray, Hon. Mark MacGuigan, Hon. Eugene Whelan, Ron Wagenberg, Hon. Alvin Curling, Hon. Dan McTeague and others. He is a graduate of the University of Windsor where he studied International International Relations. "The office of Member of Parliament, Parliament, whether federal or provincial, requires a lot of work and dedication dedication and, at times, can be extremely stressful. With the constant demands and pressures of operating a business, business, I have learned and listened throughout my business years to give that "little extra". In my heart I believe that my experience will allow allow me to do an excellent job in Queen's Park serving my fellow residents residents of Durham East," Khouri said. . DURHAM REGION The Regional Municipality of Durham Department of Social Services ATTENTION ALL CLARINGTON RESIDENTS Effective August 8, 1994, Clarington residents receiving or requiring Family Benefits and General Welfare Assistance will be serviced by the South Oshawa office of the Department of Social Services. South Oshawa Office 505 Wentworth St. W. Oshawa, Ontario L1J6G5 Phone: 436-6747 Office Hours: 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. © Grand Opening August 10th! Bowmanville Mall 243 King St. E. See next week's Canadian Statesman © We'd like to... V J ^<3 U 3a Sir (funntimn statrsnran Council's Tie Vole Kills Mosporl Concert Deal - f.'j, or Sj, s 'We'd See You in Court - WiV.ir»tj-trr-tl. M u*»' u cix,'ic"i n ' fvppwn ■•t'l «vil I S!i ÊMI v.•.f.ir.vri.r.z; Yollow's Out, Rod's In for Now Firo Truck Colors Town Receives First ot Two New Fire Trucks r: rr,t£vr ~:Z". G^EfChina Looks at I IêIhÉ? For Nuclear Power I izEHEE 7 -- r,trr.er.;S3 JS.V.r.'tis Petition Calls lor Extension of Him tilmk MmM 1 TWHI ' . i ,r. tit «ni i 1*7 .;c,"CE (1 We AAire HI ti !iu sirjT.-i Take advantage of our subscription specials and you could win ... • A pair of tickets to a Toronto Blue Jays game at SkyDome. • One night's accommodation at the Harbour Castle Westin. • Limousine transportation to Toronto and home the next clay. • Plus ... $250 in spending money. To enter, select either of these subscription specials. A. Buy a one year subscription lor $25 and get 6 months extra for FUEL OR B. Buy a 2 year subscription for $45 and get 12 months extra for FREE. Even lower rates are available for Office Pickup Subscriptions Subscription offer closes August 15th, 1994 and applies to subscriptions mailed within Canada. Winners to be announced in the August 17th edition of The Canadian Statesman, To pay by VISA / MC Please phone 623-3303 or " stop by our office tifK Canadian Statesman 62 King SI. 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