It's my little brother's birthday!

So what if he's 51, and taller than I am, John is still my little brother! I have two younger brothers, and John is the youngest.

The week John turned 21, he was in a bad motorcycle accident. He was on a big Harley, with no mufflers, but a driver didn't see or hear him and turned right in front of him. John reportedly flew about 20 feet thru the air, and thankfully had a helmet on. We got the call that he was at a local hospital, but needed to be transferred to a city hospital for a spinal cord injury.

John was taken to Jefferson Hospital in Philly, where he had surgery for a T12-L1 fracture. They took a chunk from his hip to use as a patch. The neurologist told us he would never walk again. We were all devastated.

The neuro was wrong, and John began to get sensation and movement back. He was in what is called a clamshell brace. Every day my Mom would take the highspeed line to Philly and walk a mile to Jefferson to see him. The rest of us went up a couple of times a week. As each friend saw John for the first time, they were shocked.

John's friend Charlie would work construction all day, then go, still filthy, right to the hospital to spend time with John. Many nights he used the shower in John's room to clean up. He did this every day for months! (When we were recently talking about that time period, Charlie said the experience was very valuable to him, as it taught him how to be a real friend.)

Eventually John was moved to Magee Rehab, also in Philly. By the following spring, he was allowed to come home in a wheelchair, still in the clamshell brace. He wouldn't be allowed to stand for a full year after the accident.

I can remember taking John to the Berlin Auction, which is like a low class mall, and him disappearing! I was beside myself- how was I going to explain to my parents that I lost my brother, who was in a wheelchair!

John made a wonderful recovery. His only deficits are that he can only lift a limited amount, and his abdominal muscles atrophied somewhat. And he can't stand on his head anymore.

John lives in Florida with his wonderful wife Morgan. They have 20+ acres and raise a bunch of livestock, in addition to him working for a pump company. He plays the bagpipes, and his dogs sing along. He's a great guy, and I'm proud to be his big sister.

Happy Birthday John!