Hilltop

Marty Jimenez
Pat Roper - Daily Sentinel, Sept 12, 2004

Marty Jimenez

Marty Jimenez is a 44-year-old man who was born and raised in Pueblo, Colorado. Son of Carmen and Irene Jimenez Marty describes his youth as:

"I never stood still…I tried to cram as much stuff into a 24 -hour period as possible." Everyone who knows Marty says that this is true. A star athlete at Pueblo West High School, Marty was a would-be Olympic competitor in swimming and a straight "A" student.

Marty's hope was to attend Stanford University and study medicine. Those hopes and dreams were altered one night in January of 1975 when Marty, a cousin and a friend, driving to a basketball game were struck by a another driver under the influence of drugs and alcohol. Marty's life has never been the same. As a result of the accident Marty, the only passenger seriously hurt, suffered and has endured a traumatic brain injury. Marty states:

" My hopes and wants are the same as they were when I was hurt…I have a hard time motivating myself and following through with even everyday stuff."

Although Marty can walk and has a terrific sense of humor he still mourns over what his life was, what it could have been. "I am truly blessed to have had the support of my family over the years and to live here at LAP…this has become my home", he says, "but I still would have loved to participate in the 76 Olympics!" Marty is now a client of Hilltops Life Adjustment program and he seeks out ways to improve the quality of his life on a daily basis.

Marty does volunteer work at St. Mary's Hospital and Medical Center and is a key presenter in the bimonthly impact panel LAP hosts for the County's Alternative Sentencing Program. Marty tells the group of DUI offenders "Don't drink and drive…you don't want to be responsible for causing someone to have a traumatic brain injury or to do it to yourself. I never though this would happen to me, it was always 'the other guy' but it did happen to me and now my entire life consists in trying to motivate myself and to get back what I lost…and I lost a lot." When asked what his main goal in life is Marty will tell you "I want to prevent other brain injuries and do some good while I'm here on earth." Given Marty's dedication to getting the word out, we believe he does just that and has made a difference in many lives ...

Pat Roper

Pat Roper expected to be married and have kids and the white picket fence at this point in his life. "It all didn't happen because of me," Roper said, bluntly. There are no public tears, no "pity me" in the statement. It's just how life happened, the result of an alcohol-related accident that whipped Roper's head around and changed nearly everything 16 years ago.

"I used to drink at a lot of parties and always made it home," Roper said. "I went to this party and I was being a teenager." He had way too much to drink and got into a fight before leaving the party. Driving his father's truck, Roper was going down the road fast. He swerved, overcorrected and flipped the truck end-to-end four or five times. "I remember being in the ambulance," Roper said. Then he was comatose about six months. "The day of my 18th birthday I was in St. Mary's Hospital ICU. Happy birthday," he said. When he got out of the hospital, Roper was in a wheelchair and had difficulty speaking, some of the more visible signs of his disabilities related to brain damage from the accident.

The dream of becoming a Navy pilot, something he'd thought about since he went to his first air show at age 14, was gone. Roper has struggled over the years, but he has become a man with a positive outlook and infectious laughter. He walks with a walker, an accomplishment he achieved despite the doubt of others and without the help of a therapist. While his words are more labored than he likely intends, and often need to be interpreted for those not used to hearing them, his thoughts are focused.

Roper has found joy in country music, the Denver Broncos, reading Louis L'Amour and Zane Grey and participating in the family like community at Hilltop Community Resources' Life Adjustment Program for individuals with traumatic brain injuries. The best thing about the program is "the freedom I have... I do whatever I want to do," said Roper, who has been a client since 1990. "I can be an individual here," he said.

The Life Adjustment Program is celebrating its 24th anniversary this year.

"A lot of this whole thing is based on relationships ... I wouldn't even use the word friends. It goes deeper than that," said Walt Brandstoettner, Roper's friend. The program is unique and has received national recognition because it is client-based and doesn't revolve around the medical or clinical, said Sally Schaefer, Hilltop's chief executive officer. Clients come to Hilltop campus from across the country and more clients are referred to the program than there are spots available. The program also has received accolades from a national brain injury association.

Staff members are trained to help with physical needs, but more importantly they are trained to listen, Brandstoettner said. "People, whether they have a brain injury or not, need something to do, something to love, something to look forward to," he said. The program's clients "are individuals ... they need to be acknowledged as individuals. They need to be able to make their own choices."

The program was begun in 1984 by Schaefer, who was then a staff rehabilitation nurse for Hilltop and the facilitator of a neurotrauma support group. Schaefer was seeing brain injury patients go through rehabilitation programs and after being released failing "miserably" at coping with life situations. They would often end up locked in institutions or in prison, placed in nursing homes or causing trouble at home, she said. At the same time, Schaefer was hearing from families in the support group, expressing their need for a program specific to people with brain injuries.

So Hilltop began a day program for local clients and soon found it wasn't going to work.

"They really needed a residential program," Schaefer said. They needed a space to live like normal adults even though they weren't normal, she said. "This is about quality of life."

While families want to protect a loved one, particularly after all the trauma of an accident, they might be too protective. Parents may not be the best ones to provide support for a 35-year-old child who "wants to be able to go out for a beer on Saturday without a lot of flak," she said. "They are legally functional but not able to manage their day-to-day activities without some support," she said. A residential program was begun in 1985 with four or five clients, said Brandstoettner, who also joined Hilltop that year. "We were going to teach them life skills. We were going to try to transition them back into the community," he said. "The assumption was that they could resume their life as it was before," he said. The assumption was wrong.

Traumatic brain injuries can be caused numerous ways: Accidents, motor vehicle accidents, falls, sports, firearms, assault. The injuries can result in physical and cognitive changes and ongoing trauma. Often survivors are unable to regain the things they lost, Brandstoettner said. Friends drop away, not able to deal with the changes. Survivors may become prone to depression. Depending on the injury, memory can be affected and so can motor function.They can have emotional problems or not remember what behavior is appropriate in public. They may physically be able to regain the ability to give themselves a shower, but don't realize when they need one.

Even though survivors aren't the same as before their injuries, they are nonetheless adults and individuals. As such, they must be allowed to make choices on how to live their lives, Brandstoettner said. Hilltop found clients needed a situation that is "hands off, but a perimeter of support around them," Schaefer said. Clients want and should be allowed to make choices in a supportive environment where they feel like they have some capabilities as adults and are having some fun, she said. It's the dignity of risk, Brandstoettner said.

In today's program, clients decide what treatment they want. They learn "life skills" if they want. A physical therapist or psychiatrist are only seen by those who want them. There's no fence around the campus, and the program is there to help clients access the community in meaningful ways. Some of them have jobs in the community Staff helps those who want to go to church to get there. There's a Bible study on campus. "We encourage their spiritual growth as well," Brandstoettner said.

The staff plans numerous outings for clients, such as fishing and camping trips, skiing at Powderhorn Ski Resort, JUCO, a walk, Country Jam USA and Rock Jam.

A huge country music fan, he goes to all four days of Country Jam every year. And with the start of football season, he also can't wait for the Super Bowl. He'd like to see the Broncos vs. Carolina Panthers in the game. A former secretary for the program was a big Dallas Cowboys fan, and she and Roper used to tease each other a lot. She slipped the Cowboys into every conversation. Roper left Broncos stickers on her desk.

"He's probably one of the more positive people I know," Brandstoettner said of Roper. One of his first memories of Roper took place shortly after Roper came into the program. There was a snowstorm and Roper had gotten his wheelchair stuck on the sidewalk. He had a pile of snow on his head and he was laughing, Brandstoettner said. "He was fine."

With the upcoming election, Roper, a Republican, enjoys throwing jabs at Brandstoettner, a Democrat. As Roper talked of Arnold Schwarzenegger at the GOP convention speaking about girlie men, Brandstoettner groaned. When Brandstoettner went off on issues, Roper rolled his eyes and opened and closed his hand like a mouth, as if to say "whatever." While his injuries and short-term memory don't let him remember everything, Roper keeps up with current events by reading the newspaper every morning at breakfast. In the afternoon he likes to watch "The O'Reilly Factor" and "Hannity & Colmes" on Fox News.

After years of study, Roper received his high school diploma through Grand Junction High School in 1998. He has a job on the Hilltop campus, cleaning the community center and fitness center equipment.

In May, Roper was elected by his peers to serve as a representative to the program's client' council. "You hear all the complaints" from other clients on what they want done, he said, again rolling his eyes.

Nearly every day he goes to the campus' fitness center to walk on the treadmill. Roper had gotten a lot of therapy after his accident, but walking was not something physicians thought he was likely to ever do again. However, he was determined to get out of a wheelchair. The program's staff was admittedly not too keen on Roper trying to walk, Brandstoettner said. They were afraid of him falling, but Roper was not. He told them he had fallen when learning to walk as a baby and didn't mind falling some more. They had to scoop him off the floor plenty of times, but eventually Roper did it.

In the 14 years Roper has been a part of the Life Adjustment Program, he has gone from having to have help with all his personal care, to "now he's doing his own stuff," Brandstoettner said. Roper did it himself and has come a long way, he said. It's all part of the process of getting comfortable in your own skin and realizing what may or may not be possible, he said.

Roper now uses a walker when he gets up to talk about his accident as part of the local Head Injury Prevention Impact Panel, which gives presentations to teenagers at area schools or the Department of Youth Corrections.

"What happened to me can happen to anyone of you. You might live and you might not," he said he tells teenagers. "It can happen to anyone," he said. "Take responsibility for your actions." "I've had struggles, you'll have struggles... And if you do become like me, don't give up."