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PAGE 18. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 11, 1998.
Students see devastating effect of risky behaviour
By Janice Becker
Citizen staff
The room was dark. Disturbing
scenes flashed across the screen,
intermixed with images of playful
teens, while the thumping bass of
Wham's Careless Whispers, pound-
ed.
Images, pictures, visualizing the
destruction of stupid risks was the
realistic approach used by Heroes,
a SMARTRISK Foundation pre-
sentation at Central Huron Sec-
ondary School, March 6, to
re-enforce the dangers of unsafe
activities to teens.
As the lights came up, a young
man in a wheelchair appeared
onstage.
Once an athletic, active young
man, Adrian Dieleman spoke to the
students, telling of the tragic ordeal
almost 10 years ago which left him
a quadriplegic.
He and his friends had just com-
pleted exams for their final year of
college. It was celebration time.
Dieleman said he stopped to pick
up a friend as they headed to the
cottage for the weekend. A barbe-
cue was underway so they stayed
for a few drinks.
Along the way to the cottage, the
pair visited a pub for a few more.
It is then that Dieleman said he
made the worst decision of his life.
Continued from page 3
would be authorized to attend.
***
Bailey and Stewart will attend
the Ontario Small Urban Munici-
palities conference in Huntsville,
April 29-May 2.
***
A letter was read form Steve
Howson, secretary of the Blyth
Lions club, asking council to
assume responsibility for the soccer
His friend had been driving, but
still recovering from knee surgery,
he asked Dieleman to take over.
"I quickly agreed," said Diele-
man. "I lived to drive his car."
However, uninhibited because of
a few drinks and in the party mood,
Dieleman said he was driving too
fast, weaving in and out of traffic.
The car began to skid sideways,
hit the ditch and rolled.
On the first roll, all the windows
blew out. Dieleman's friend was
thrown clear on the second.
By the third, Dieleman had been
tossed halfway out the passenger
side window, leaving his head and
one arm outside the vehicle
exposed when it came to rest on
that side.
His neck snapped.
The car landed with such force
that Dieleman's head was forced
into the ground. His friend had to
dig him out so that he was able to
breathe until help arrived.
Neither man had been wearing a
seatbelt.
All these details were unknown
to Dieleman. He was told about the
accident when he awoke the next
morning.
He recalls how terrible it must
have been when his parents got that
call.
"Mrs. Dieleman, your son has
field, now that the work was com-
plete.
A motion was made to do so.
***
Councillor Doug Scrimgeour said
that he would try to attend an
upcoming nutrient management
workshop in Holmesville, March
20.
***
The budget for the Blyth and
District Community Centre boards
been in an accident and he may not
make it."
It truly was a matter of life or
death for three or four days, he
said.
In the course of his recovery,
Dieleman was fitted with a halo, a
steel brace attached to his head and
chest, for 12 weeks. The halo kept
his neck perfectly still while it
healed. Every two weeks, someone
would come and tighten the fopr
screws in his head with a torque
wrench.
In one of the lighter moments
during the 15 months of rehabilita-
tion, Dieleman said a child walked
by one day, while he still wore the
halo and exclaimed, "Look, a mar-
tiar ."
"It did look rather strange,"
Dieleman said.
Though he now has some use of
his arms, he is considered a
quadriplegic because he has no
feeling from his chest to his toes.
Because of this, he has to be par-
ticularly careful about injuries. Not
being able to sense pain or discom-
fort, Dieleman said infections are a
serious concern.
He told of an acquaintance who
fell and scraped his elbow, but not
realizing it, infection set in. Even-
tually, the man lost his arm.
An important moment was
reached early in his recovery when
he knew he had to make a decision,
let his disability make him a nega-
tive person or accept it, live with it
and become a productive member
of society.
Having chosen the latter, Diele-
man began the arduous task of
learning everything again.
"I was like a two-year-old," he
said.
The first time he tried to dress
himself, it took two hours to get his
pants over the lower portion of one
leg.
Now Dicleman drives his own
van.
He also participates in waterski-
ing, indoor rugby and wheelchair
racing. A few years ago, he almost
made it to the Paralympics, but
missed qualifying by hundredths of
a second.
"Now, I just take smart risks and
always wear a helmet."
Students ask questions
When asked if he has had to deal
with discrimination, Dieleman said
he has not.
"I think wheelchairs are a more
cdrimon sight, now. However,
children are always very interest-
ed."
As for the strain on relationships
from the period of the crash, Diele-
man said his friend who was in the
car has had to deal with a lot of
baggage and feelings of responsi-
bility.
"Though still friends, we have
drifted apart, as happens in any
friendship."
Dieleman said he had a lot of
support from family and friends
while others in the rehabilitation
hospital had no visitors in the 15-
months he was there.
was accepted. Budget amount is
$201,570.
***
The fire board budget in the
amount of $60,000 was approved.
Blyth's portion is 19 per cent or
$11,400.
In Canada, injuries are the leading
cause of death for persons between
one and forty-four years of age.
SMARTRISK Foundation
It was also during this time that
Dieleman said he realized it was
hard for others to deal with his situ-
ation as well. Some friends passed
out when they saw him in the halo.
When asked about the number of
drinks he had consumed, Dieleman
said, "The number doesn't matter
because I knew I was being stupid.
The quantity is not the point. If I
had one or three, there is no differ-
ence. Even one can make you do
things you might not otherwise."
"I believe alcohol does have its
place, but not when driving. You
are asking for trouble."
Because he is a quadriplegic, a
question arose regarding his ability
to have sex.
Laughing, Dieleman said he
wondered if some would ask as it
was the first thing that came to his
mind when he awoke in the hospi-
tal.
"Though there is no sensation,
everything still works, just with
more difficulty."
Learning the lesson
In closing the presentation,
Dieleman said there are several
thoughts he would like the audi-
ence to consider.
What happened to me was not an
"accident". It was predictable and
preventable.
There are five keys to smart risk:
buckle up, drive sober, look first,
wear gear and get trained.
Taking these mottoes into every
aspect of one's life will help in
avoiding to cross the "stupid line",
said Dieleman.
He also said anyone can be a
hero if they try to save someone
else's life.
In assisting another, Dieleman
listed steps to be followed: would
you be in immediate danger by
helping; is the injured person in
immediate danger, consider "life
over limb"; if the injured person is
conscious, hold their head very still
and-talk to them; if they are uncon-
scious, make sure they are breath-
ing; stop bleeding, then call for
help.
"What is your stupid line?"
Dieleman asked.
The "stupid line" is a tent. used
by SMARTRISK, referring to the
What is SMARTRISK
-formerly call the Canadian
Injury Prevention Foundation
-national charitable organiza-
tion dedicated to creating
Canada's injury prevention move-
ment
-stress that 90 per cent of all
injuries are predictable and pre-
ventable
-promote smart risk: wear a
helmet when riding a bike, wind-
surf with appropriate gear
-HEROES is first public educa-
tion initiative
-600,000 have seen HEROES
since 1992
line crossed into risky behaviour.
"It is your body, your choice and
your responsibility. However, I
want you to think about me when
you are at that party tonight. Think
of all the things I will never be able
to do again."
Crossing the line
Adrian Dieleman of SMARTRISK asked students
gathered at Central Huron Secondary School, March 6,
where their "stupid line" is when it comes to dangerous
behaviour.
Blyth council accepts budget