Jeffrey Andrews doesn't dwell on the terrifying snowboarding crash that changed nearly everything about his life.
The Montgomery High School grad has more immediate concerns, such as his bid to walk again.
"I'm getting stronger every day and staying positive, and hoping for the best possible outcome," Andrews, 25, said last week from a rehabilitation facility in Colorado.
Andrews is a Santa Rosa native who played football and basketball for the Vikings. On March 15, he suffered a broken neck and paralysis after he took a jump on his snowboard at Sugar Bowl Resort in Tahoe and crashed on landing.
At Craig Hospital outside Denver, the 6-foot-2, 200-pound Andrews is learning how to live without the use of his legs, and with only limited mobility in his arms. He endures strenuous physical and occupational therapy five days a week at the hospital, which specializes in treating people who've suffered spinal cord and brain injuries.
"It's hard as a parent to see a child go through this, but he is amazing," Mark Andrews of Santa Rosa said of his son. "He keeps me up. He keeps me going."
Mark and Cindy Andrews have been in Colorado for almost the entire time since their son arrived at the hospital on March 26. The couple's only other child, 27-year-old Michele Andrews, also has been a regular visitor. She's a nurse at Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha.
The time away from home and from work has put an emotional and financial strain on the family. But nobody's complaining.
Rob Jackson, an assistant Santa Rosa city attorney who has been friends with Mark Andrews since childhood, said the family's situation highlights life's sometimes sudden turns.
"Suddenly you're looking at a whole different lifestyle, a whole different level of income," Jackson said.
He said Jeffrey is inspiring everyone around him with his tenacity and upbeat attitude.
"He's a remarkable kid, like his old man," Jackson said. "You'd think there'd be some real dark days, and there are, but he's like this inspiration to the whole damn hospital."
Jeffrey Andrews' physical therapy includes time in a swimming pool and on a stationary bicycle, which he pedals with the aid of equipment that stimulates muscles in his legs. He's also been on a few outings, including to Coors Field to catch baseball games.
"Definitely by Friday, I like to get away and get a breath of fresh air," he said.
His longterm prognosis is uncertain. But he and his family are buoyed by the progress he's made so far. When he first came out of spinal surgery, Andrews could only shrug his shoulders. Now, he can raise his arms and flex his wrists.
It's a big change from what his life used to be.
In Truckee, where Andrews has made his home for several years, he easily indulged his passions for snowboarding and golf. He lives with several roommates and has a job as an assistant groundskeeper at Lahontan Golf Club.
Andrews worked his regular shift on March 15 before heading out to Sugar Bowl, where he planned to take a run in the resort's terrain park before meeting up with friends on another part of the mountain.
He remembers taking the jump and turning mid-air to perform a trick. But he sailed too far, about 35 feet by his estimate, and crashed well downslope of the softer landing zone. He was wearing a helmet.
He doesn't recall the helicopter flight to Renown Regional Medical Center in Reno. But Mark Andrews will never forget the call he took at T&B Sports in Santa Rosa, where he works as a retail floor manager, from a nurse seeking authorization for doctors to perform emergency surgery on his son.
"I'm going, 'Now?' He said, 'Yes.' I said, 'Do what you have to do.'
" Mark Andrews quickly left work to pick up Cindy, who works part-time in the accounting department at The Press Democrat. By the time the couple arrived in Reno, Jeffrey had undergone surgery to stabilize his spinal cord.The more arduous journey was just beginning. Eleven days later, Mark and Jeffrey rode together in a private plane to the hospital in Colorado. Cindy and Michele drove out to meet them.The family originally rented an apartment near the hospital but are now staying with Mike and Susan Lanam, who are relatives of one of Jeffrey's friends from high school. The Lanams had never met the Andrews before offering their home to them.Jeffrey Andrews is scheduled to leave Craig on June 17, unless staff there believe there is more they can do for him, in which case his stay could be extended. His hope is to return to Truckee and to his job at the golf club.Financial and lifestyle realities are potential barriers to those dreams. The health insurance Andrews has through his work has covered most of his medical expenses to date. But it's uncertain how much will be covered once he's released from the hospital.Friends have been raising money to help defray the costs of a specialized van and wheelchairs that Jeffrey will have to rely on to get around. So far, they've raised about $50,000 toward their goal of $100,000.A pasta-feed fundraiser for Andrews is scheduled for 5 p.m. on May 31 at Finley Hall at the Sonoma County Fairgrounds in Santa Rosa. Tickets are $25 and can be purchased at Donations also can be made at "It's amazing how people have stepped up to help," Mark Andrews said.Jeffrey said he's trying to concentrate on what's in front of him and not think of anything else."Thinking too far down the road.
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