Editor's Choice
The vitality exceeds the medical limit.
Willpower to the top of humanity.
Continue to write life with tenacity and love.
It's a real event, a miracle of in-depth coverage by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Michael Wittez.
After reading this book, people will not only marvel at the "unbelievable" and "incredible", but also let their spirits be inspired and their wills will be stronger.
Introduction
Matt Miller, a 22-year-old college student. While training on a bicycle on the Blue Ridge Highway in Virginia, he accidentally collided head-on with a Porsche, and his facial bones were almost completely shattered, causing a severe head injury and his life hanging by a thread. But the crash itself is not the end of the story, but the beginning of the story. "The Road Back" tells the story of this young man who regains his old life. In this book, the author shares with readers Matt's miraculous survival, heart-pounding ** experience, and his incredible and amazing achievements.
About the Author
Michael Vitez was a staff writer for the Philadelphia Inquirer for 27 years and won the 1997 Pulitzer Prize for Journalism for writing a series of in-depth stories on five dying men, including the story of this book. In order to write Matt's story, the author took a year off work and devoted himself to Matt's life before completing the book. Michael also teaches narrative and nonfiction writing at the University of Pennsylvania and has been a visiting professor in the Department of Journalism at Princeton University.
Wonderful book review
Matt Miller's focus and determination is inspiring, and reading his story I can't make excuses not to go out and train. —Erin Donohue (U.S. Olympic 1500m runner).
Wonderful story! Mr. Wittez describes in fascinating language how Matt pulled himself back from the brink of death with a strong will, miraculously got into medical school, and miraculously completed the amazing feat of triathlon. His personality qualities and love of life are the same as those of my brother, Fran Kribben. —Mandy Kribburn (former U.S. Olympic swimmer and sister of Fran Kribburn in this book).
A young man with amazing perseverance suffered a severe head injury, but he performed a medical miracle. From a professional point of view, the book's depiction of medical measures is quite accurate and convincing. It can even be used as a highly recommended book on nerve damage**! —Dr. Dong Kim (Chief of Neurosurgery, University of Texas School of Medicine).
Matt Miller's strong heart and optimistic attitude to life allowed him to overcome death. It's a powerful story. As a former big man, an avid marathon enthusiast, and now the owner of the Philadelphia 76ers, I'm genuinely proud of all of Matt's hard work and the amazing feat he took to complete the triathlon. Philadelphia should be proud to have a young man like Matt.
Josh Harris (Philadelphia 76ers owner, founder of Apollo Global Management, triathlete).
Wonderful book excerpts
Mark Harris wondered how the cyclist had managed to sneak past the double yellow line and get in front of the oncoming blue Porsche. He witnessed the whole process. He saw the cyclist get knocked into the air by the sports car and then slammed into the asphalt. "This kid is finished. He said to his wife.
Harris doesn't remember how he hit the brakes and ran to the kid; But he was the first to arrive at the scene.
The boy was not breathing, his arms and legs were stiff, and his body posture showed typical signs of brain damage. Blood kept pouring out of his mouth and ears, and it was determined that it was a fractured skull. His facial bones had been completely shattered, and his contours were distorted. Mark Harris happens to be a doctor, but he's an anesthesiologist. The doctor, who had enjoyed a peaceful ride with his fellow Classic Car Club riders a few seconds ago, now, after weighing the pros and cons, has made a "decision on the spot" and decided to take the plunge. "If he has a neck injury, he can be paralyzed. "But if you don't find a way to help him breathe now, he'll be dead." ”
Harris propped the boy's bloody head on his lap. The boy had fractured both sides of his jaw and was completely loose. All the teeth were shattered, and he was unconscious and motionless. Harris turned his face sideways to face himself, making sure that all the blood was going to his thighs and not into the boy's throat causing suffocation. He used his fingers to clean out the broken teeth, and then did something that no other person on earth would do—not even a doctor, but few people knew he could do it. The action was so horrific that he grabbed the boy's broken jaw and pulled it forward.
This is the pain stimulation method. Harris later explained: "It works by giving the injured person a strong painful stimulus that forces him to breathe on his own. I tried to make him feel as much pain as possible to stimulate his spontaneous breathing. ”
The boy finally breathed again.
Before the incident, Rudy Casa, a member of the University of Virginia Triathlon Club, and Chris Morrow, were riding with Matt Miller, a third-year at the University of Virginia, on a mountain trail. Afterwards, the two partners arrived at the injured man at about the same time as Dr. Harris. Dr. Harris told them to call 911 as soon as possible. Rudy pulled out his phone, but there was no signal, not even a single bar. Blue Ridge Highway 12This section of the 2 milestones is flanked on one side by a steep ridge. It may be that the ridge is blocking the cell phone signal. Rudy saw a few boulders and climbed to the top, hoping that the signal would be better at the higher point. "I'll have to climb a little higher. He said to himself, crawling as hard as he could to a higher place. Finally, he received a signal. Perhaps it's also a miracle, as if the last car in the convoy was an anesthesiologist who happened to be following the blue Porsche in the accident. Rudy kept dialing 911 until the operator at the Augusta County Emergency Dispatch Center asked him to stop calling again, and then he ran back to the scene of the incident, Matt's side.
Marianne Harris tried to contact the front convoy through her husband's walkie-talkie, which, of course, didn't work. The other 30 cars in the convoy were all heading towards the Otter Peak Hotel, unaware of what was happening behind them – except for one car, a red Austin Healy, which was third to last in the convoy. The driver must have seen what was going on in the rearview mirror — or at least knew it was going to happen, so he pulled over, returned to the scene of the accident, and began pointing fingers at Mark Harris. "Aren't you supposed to let him lie flat? He only knew that Mark Harris was a member of their car club, and did not know Harris's professional identity. But he seems to believe that all the measures taken by Harris are wrong. Mark has always been a humble man and a man of great speech. Now, however, in Mark's words, "a time of crisis", it's like being on Anzio Beach. He roared uncharacteristically, "I ...... him."I do these things every day and I know what I'm doing! Seeing this, Austin Healy's driver had no choice but to go back to his car, thinking that it was better for him to catch up with the others first and inform them of the situation.
The tugging of Matt's chin triggers his "stress self-protection mechanism". Matt's brain felt the pain, forcing his body to breathe again and ready to resist.
Harris held Matt down in time, like a rugby player intercepting an opponent. He clamped his legs around Matt's legs like scissors to prevent him from getting up and running away from danger like a frightened beast fleeing into the jungle - if that was the case, he would be dead. Mark Harris knew exactly what was going to happen, but he couldn't hold Matt alone, so he called Rudy and Chris to help, and the two of them grabbed one of Matt's legs. Ken Gregory, the driver of the blue Porsche, also pressed one leg together. "It's just a wrestling match. Gregory said. Matt struggled, breathing as hard as he could, blood gushing out. Marianne Harris stayed by her husband's side and took off her coat to cover Matt to keep his body warm. Rudy and Chris struggled to talk to Matt – "You're going to be fine......You'll have to go to medical school......Your parents are coming soon" - but Matt did not respond. Rudy takes off Matt's helmet, which is soaked in blood.
They pressed Matt around and waited for the ambulance to arrive, feeling like his life was running ......