Category Archives: Events

Too many good men die young.

Events

God I hope Michael Schumacher pulls through. 

I hate hearing now about people crashing and injuring themselves. It’s so much closer to home than I ever felt pre injury. 
Thrill seekers and speed freaks by definition put themselves in the firing line for a life changing injury without weighing up the consequences first – look at me.  
I’ve been thinking about him all day. 
Good luck Michael. 

Oh Jesus. The unimaginable almost happened twice in the same year to the same family. I’ve re read this email 4 times and filled up every time. Guardian angel, or is someone out to get us?

Events

Russ,
Glad you made it to Boston safely.
I hesitate to write this, but thought you should know.
I just spent the last 2 hours in an ambulance.
While driving back from town to our house, up OKEMO ridge road in the heavy snow, I had to make a u-turn as the road was blocked by cars that had skidded off the road.
I drove back down the hill toward Jackson Gore. Half way down there was a Chevy suburban stuck in the snow with a woman and girl in the front seats.
I backed my car up to them to see if I could help.
I opened the drivers door of the stranded suburban and was leaning in the car to change their 4 wheel drive settings. All of a sudden I was flying through the air! A snow plow truck, out of control coming down the hill slammed into the car door behind which I was standing, hitting it so hard I flew 20 feet in the air. When I came round, amazingly I was ok, badly bruised ribs and leg, shaking from shock and cold, but otherwise ok!
I swear someone is looking out for us. 10 seconds earlier or 2 feet to my left, I would have been a gonna.
As it is I’m just very sore and very grateful!
Love you bro,

Alwyn
Xxx



(If there is a God, then I thank you for stepping in and sparing us another unbearable blow. 

Russ. )

Last day.

Events

We leave today. 


They’ll all ski this am then Stu takes us to Boston at 1 ish. 
All sad to be leaving, especially  me. 

We stay in an airport  hotel tonight, to be up at 5am tomorrow. Then, hopefully, an ‘uneventful’ flight home, if you know what I mean. 

This has been the most ‘successful’ big Dawkins family holiday ever. 

We all wanted, indeed needed, this to work, and thanks to everyone’s patience, flexibility, and generosity… it did.

🙂
X

Thank you.

Events

Well despite the medical team’s misgivings ( not to mention my own ), I’ve tried and I’d say succeeded at sit ski. 

So I’m not an expert yet, but the thing is that I know now that I will be in due course. 
That’s not arrogance (before someone says it) but it is confidence, and it’s the first glimmer of confidence I’ve had about my future since I woke up enough from my coma to realise what a mess I was in. 
I can’t thank, firstly Alwyn, enough, for believing in me and making it actually all happen, and secondly, in no particular order ( because there are so many ), Pam ( Alwyn’s good friend here, who runs the kids ‘hopefuls’ ski race school ) for suggesting Vermont Adaptive ski school, Dani for always pushing me, my family for their limitless support , my instructors Aaron and Loranlyn for being so bloody nice to me ( and doing it in their free time as volunteers !) and my countless friends for telling me again and again that they knew I’d crack it. 
Without all of those, I’d not even have left the appartment, and not tried it, and gone home never knowing how a few hours can change a man’s whole perspective on the world. 
Last night back here at the appartment I felt I was able to be the real me, in the things I said, joking about stuff like I used to be, and I thought I’d never be again. 
Alwyn didn’t notice, but on the chair lift yesterday I couldn’t hold back the tears of joy that steamed up my goggles, being finally ABLE to do something. 
The boundaries now seem a lot further away, and I know my life will get progressively better. 
Thank you all so much for helping. 
Russ