 | | Derrick Gardiner and his father, Derrick Gardiner Sr. at their home in Needville. (Staff photo by Denise Adams)
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| Like many high school football athletes in the offseason, Derrick Gardiner was lifting weights in the Needville High School gym on the afternoon of Jan. 24 to stay in shape. Gardiner suddenly realized he couldn't feel the right side of his face, and one of his teammates quickly grabbed the weights while another ran to summon help.
When one of the coaches spoke to Gardiner, the sophomore said he had a bad headache, but the right side of his mouth was turned down. Their initial thought was the 16-year-old was having a stroke.
“We knew it was serious within 20 seconds,” said head coach Ryan Roark. “Half of his face wasn't working, and it scared the devil out of me.”
Roark has witnessed his share of medical problems in his 18 years of coaching, but this was the first time he'd seen such a serious condition.
Immediately the coaches called 911, and the ambulance and EMT team arrived in minutes. Within half an hour, Gardiner was in an ambulance to OakBend Hospital.
Two hours later, he was under heavy sedation, strapped into a LifeFlight helicopter and on his way to Memorial Hermann Hospital. The young man's brain was filling with blood, and doctors were rushing to save his life.
When Gardiner's mother, Kimberly, received a call from the school, she initially thought her son hadn't eaten breakfast and was exhausted. Still, she rushed to OakBend Hospital, thinking her son would simply be admitted for observation.
Derrick Sr., a long-distance trucker, was delivering a load in Huntsville. When he climbed back into the cab of his 18-wheeler, he had over 17 missed calls on his cell phone.
He called his wife, heard about his son, and drove straight to the hospital.
“I called in my prayer warriors on that drive,” said the elder Gardiner. “I let everybody know - my parents, my brother, our deacon - it was overwhelming.”
The diagnosis was arterial venas malformation, an abnormal collection of blood cells occurring during fetal development. Most people have no idea they have AVM although headaches can be a subtle sign. Gardiner had no symptoms up to the day he collapsed, and there is no history of AVM in the family.
The first time the Gardiners saw their son, there was a drainage tube coming out of the right side of his brain, and he was heavily sedated. Together with Roark, friends and family members, the group prayed and waited for the results from the teen's first CT scan.
Waiting
For 12 days, the Gardiners maintained their watch at the hospital, hoping the tube would successfully drain the blood from their son's brain.
Five days after Gardiner arrived at the hospital, his brain began bleeding again and doctors added a second drainage tube.
“I told him he looked like a Texas Longhorn,” said his father.
Although Gardiner could give a “thumbs up” if the nurses asked how he was feeling, he doesn't remember responding to any questions. His medical team kept the teen sedated to avoid any further ruptures.
Gardiner continued to improve, his medications were lowered and one tube was removed. Five days after Gardiner collapsed, he was removed from the ventilator, the initial drainage tube was taken out and the teenager woke up.
In order to remove the blood from his brain, Gardiner was scheduled for surgery on Valentine's Day. An 18-ton machine surrounds the patient as he or she wears an aluminum ring around the head.
Although Gardiner was awake for the procedure, four areas in the back of his head were numbed so four screws could penetrate his skin and hold the ring in place. Using gamma knife treatment allowed the doctors to begin dissolving the blood clot without an incision.
“His blood clot was so deep, it ruled out surgery, especially as the clot was near the place in the brain that controls mobility and speech,” said his father.
It will take six months to two years before the doctors are sure Gardiner's clot has completely dissolved, but the teenager refuses to worry about it.
“He's a fighter and determined to do his best to get back,” said his mother. When the doctors removed Gardiner's ventilator, they told his parents it would be two days before their son would be coherent. The next day he was talking.
His doctors said it would be two days before he could eat. The next day Gardiner finished his entire breakfast. Despite difficulty walking the first day after three weeks in a hospital bed, Gardiner was soon walking the length of the hall.
Because the teen was walking, eating and talking so quickly, Gardiner was discharged from the hospital a week earlier than doctors had expected.
Since leaving the hospital on March 2, Gardiner has continued to progress. Although he has lost approximately 40 pounds, he's already putting muscle back on his tall, thin frame.
Looking out over the quiet street in front of his home, the teen said he is concentrating on regaining his strength and returning to his classes as soon as possible.
“The cards, balloons, care packages, love and support I've received has just been incredible,” said Gardiner. “I didn't know I had that many friends.”
Derrick Gardiner said he never wonders why he was born with an AVM - it was just something he's learned to deal with. However, the teen has decided to become a physical therapist as he understands the difficulties involved in regaining both physical and mental strength after an illness or accident. Key to recovery, he believes, is the support of family and friends.
“My parents have been just great,” said Gardiner. “They are my constant support system.”
His parents, in turn, believe Derrick's inner strength is the key to his recovery. His parents and coaches know the teen's determination to succeed is strong.
“Derrick is as good a kid as you'd ever want to coach,” said Roark. “He's an all-around, all-American young man. He works out, he has a great attitude and he's the kind of kid you want your kid to grow up to be.”
Roark credits Gardiner's family for instilling positive values in their son, and he said the teen's fellow athletes and schoolmates are all rooting for him.
Gardiner's encounter has brought the Gardiner family even closer. Friends, teammates, coaches, teachers and church members were constant visitors at the hospital, and Gardiner said his phone seldom stops ringing.
A teacher regularly comes to Gardiner's home to help with his school work. Soon, Gardiner will begin outpatient physical, occupational and speech therapy, hopefully at Memorial Herman's TIRR Challenge Program. For the near future, Gardiner is restricted from lifting weights or strenuous activities.
“But they didn't say no football,” said Gardiner with a sly grin.
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