Stories of injury told as warning

By Eric Stevick

Herald Writer

EVERETT — For James Paine and Tammy Wilber, their message to children is simple: "Use your mind to protect your body."

Another version might be: "Do as we say, not as we did."

Paine, an Everett resident who has spent years recovering from a head injury, and Wilber, a former soccer player who now relies on a wheelchair, may never know how much of a difference they are making when they visit schools, but they do feel the time they invest is worthwhile.

Their sense of mission led them to Silver Lake Elementary School Friday for two assemblies. By talking to young children, they hope to prevent head and spinal cord injuries that dramatically change the lives of a half a million Americans each year.

Both speak on behalf of Think First of Washington, which is part of a national injury prevention foundation founded by neurosurgeons.

Paine was 17 and living in Vancouver, Wash., in 1987 when a friend picked him up at work. His friend was clearly angry. Paine could see it in his tight grip of the steering wheel and the speed at which he was driving.

Today, he wishes he could have calmed his friend or called his parents. His friend lost control of the car while speeding down a steep hill and it rolled over on the passenger side. Paine was airlifted to a Portland, Ore., hospital with head and chest injuries, and was not expected to survive the night.

"After I came out of a coma, I was age 1 again. I had to live all the stages of my life again," he said.

"Fourteen years later, I still have a lot of reprogramming to do," he said.

He knows he doesn’t think as quickly as he once did. Talking to people can be difficult at times, as well as making friends.

Wilber, who serves as program coordinator for Think First through Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, was also 17 when she was involved in a car accident. She and three friends had left a McDonald’s in New Hampshire, and she wasn’t wearing a seat belt when she got behind the steering wheel and became distracted by a bee.

"I didn’t think about putting my seat belt on when I got to the car," she told the children. "I just didn’t think first."

Her friends walked away from the accident; Wilber suffered a spinal cord injury and never walked again.

"Your brain and your spinal cord are very important parts of your body," Wilber told the children. "You want to keep them safe. James and I want to make sure that every one of you thinks first."

Specifically, they told students to wear a helmet and seat belt, check water depth before diving by wading in first, and to walk away and look for an adult if they see a gun.

Between assemblies Friday, Wilber and Paine were optimistic their advice would be heeded by another group of young people.

"I think the best way to learn is from others’ mistakes," Wilber said. "We just hope it will make a difference."

You can call Herald Writer Eric Stevick at 425-339-3446

or send e-mail to stevick@heraldnet.com.

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