By Robert Medley
The Oklahoman
OKLAHOMA CITY — Two and a half months after falling through a church awning onto concrete 20 feet below, Oklahoma City firefighter Kent Collins is about to take his first step.
Collins, 42, is learning to walk again this week.
He was off-duty Dec. 4 when he stepped onto the awning at Realchurch.tv, 11911 N Pennsylvania Ave., to hang Christmas lights. A metal panel gave way and the fall broke his pelvis. The 20-foot crash shattered his left elbow, wrist and arm and injured his spine.
Two weeks ago, still in a wheelchair, Collins returned home to his sons, Ethan, 7, and Jack, 3, and his wife, Keri, who has taken over nurse duties. He said he spends a lot of time on the couch with his boys climbing on him. He has a bed downstairs so he doesn’t have to climb stairs.
He’s ahead of the recovery plan doctors gave him in December.
“My goal is to be a firefighter again, to work on the rigs and fight fires like I did before,” Collins said.
He spent six weeks in a back brace and could not use his left arm. He is expected to be near 100 percent again, although arthritis could be a future enemy, he said.
For now Collins is adjusting to home life, even washing dishes again.
“It has been really interesting. When I got home I didn’t realize how hard it was to get around,” Collins said. “Everybody had to help, even my little boys.”
His family seems happy he’s home, but realize he is recovering, he said. Ethan is adjusting to not having his dad play games like before the injury.
Collins said he expects to be back to work within six months. Fire Deputy Chief Cecil Clay said sick leave time can be extended as long as doctors say the injured person will return to full duty. Clay said firefighters want Collins back.
“We don’t want to see anybody retire before their time,” Clay said.
Collins has spent four days a week doing intense exercises. Learning to walk, he said, is going to be the most painful part. It will take up to 10 days at a rehabilitation center.
Kelli Fenderson, an occupational therapist at Integris Jim Thorpe Rehabilitation Hospital, said when Collins arrived it took three to four people to move him from his wheelchair and bed.
“He had a lot of pain,” Fenderson said. “It was tough on him. It was tough on the therapists doing it just because he was so fragile and in pain.”
By the time he left Jim Thorpe, only one person lifted him and he exercised on his own.
Elisha Smith, an occupational therapist at Parcway Care Center, noticed how determined Collins was as she worked to help strengthen his upper body and to use his left arm again, the biggest concern in his recovery.
“His self-motivation and ability to problem-solve helped him become more independent,” Smith said, noting how Collins mastered getting himself from wheelchair to bed.
“He was one of the most motivated persons I’ve met. He pushed himself,” Fenderson said.
She said that will help Collins learn to walk again.
“I think it will be tough because he has not put weight on his legs in a long time. But I think his motivation and his attitude will make it as quick as it can be for anyone in that situation. But I definitely think he will be up and walking,” Fenderson said.
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