The sun was shining brightly on August 8, 2006, as Drew O'Brien climbed a tree while his sister played a soccer game in a nearby field. This 16-year-old loved heights and was challenging himself to climb higher and higher. Suddenly, everything changed. Drew was lying unconscious on his back after falling 30 feet from the tree. His friends, who were playing close by, ran as fast as they could to find help.
The scene Drew's mother, Pamela, came upon when she ran back to that tree will be seared into her memory forever. Without deliberation, she checked her unconscious son for breathing and a pulse. He had neither. She immediately began CPR. One of Drew's sister's teammates, a 16-year-old who had recently been certified in CPR, began helping. The two worked together on the lifeless boy until the paramedics could get there and rush Drew to the hospital.
During his four weeks at UK Hospital, he came out of his coma and began making progress. Nonetheless, there were severe deficits apparent immediately. The effects of his brain injury were obvious; Drew couldn't lift his right arm and his speech was impaired. His family knew there was a long road to recovery ahead of them.
In September, Drew was moved to Cardinal Hill Rehabilitation Hospital. Physical therapists, occupational therapists and speech therapists worked tirelessly to rehabilitate this once vibrant young man. His progress was incredible. Drew and his mother never wavered from the hard work it took to bring him back to independence. His father brought his siblings to the hospital every day, where Pamela would home-school them between Drew's therapy sessions. When Drew left Cardinal Hill, he looked and sounded like a different person than the weak boy who had entered five weeks before. He left eager to come back and help.
Impatiently counting down the days of the waiting period required for inpatient clients to volunteer at Cardinal Hill, Drew focused on getting better so he could give back. He submitted his volunteer application on April 4, 2007, the last day of his waiting period. There was not a doubt in his mind about where he should serve - he wanted to volunteer with the Brain Injury Unit.
On April 29, during 2008 National Volunteer Week, Drew's family was able to create a new memory of their son as he went on stage to accept the Youth Individual Service Award at the United Way of the Bluegrass Central Kentucky Volunteer Awards breakfast. One of 37 applicants in several categories for the annual awards, an independent panel of judges was impressed by the dedication this young man now brings to his volunteer role with people going through what he has experienced.
Drew's volunteer responsibilities include visiting with clients, helping in the therapy gym, talking with families and assisting with setup of the brain injury support group. One of the most important roles he plays is helping new traumatic brain injury clients cope with their new functional status.
"Drew serves as an outlet of hope for many of our families. They appreciate Drew's honesty, and comment on the progress he has made and the deficits he still finds challenging. After talking with Drew and his mother, many of our families are able to place a face with the term 'recovering,'" said Leann Kerr, one of Drew's physical therapists at Cardinal Hill.
Drew is just one example of the outstanding volunteers honored at the Central Kentucky Volunteer Awards. Every day, people across the Bluegrass are giving of themselves to make our community a better place to live. Other winners include Lifetime Service Award Winner Pat Clark who has kept the Hope Ministries Food Pantry of Woodford County up and running for years, Southside Church of Christ in the Faith-based Award category for their congregation's dedication to Ronald McDonald House, and UK's DanceBlue 2008 Leadership Team for the students' organization of the 24-hour dance marathon that raised more than $400,000 to benefit UK's Pediatric Oncology Clinic. Business Lexington received the Small Business Award for their high level of respect for the nonprofit world. Additional winners and photos are available on the United Way of the Bluegrass website - www.uwbg.org.
The winners, nominees and the countless others who choose to volunteer their time have a variety of reasons for giving back. When asked why he volunteers, Drew said, "Cardinal Hill means the world to me. They made an unimaginable difference in my life when I was hurt. Now I want to do anything I can to help them help others."
To learn how you too can help others, visit www.uwbg.org or dial 2-1-1 to find out about the 350 opportunities available through the United Way of the Bluegrass Volunteer Center.