Man turns scooter accident into mission to help others
By Patrick Talbot
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OKLAHOMA CITY (KOCO) — May is Trauma Awareness Month, and Andrew Reyes, an Oklahoma resident, is sharing his journey of recovery and how he turned a traumatic accident into a mission to help others.
Reyes was struck while riding an electric scooter across a street last year and was transported to OU Health in critical condition with life-threatening injuries.
He spent more than a month recovering in the hospital.
“I was crossing the street on an electric scooter and, next thing I remember, I was lying in the middle of the street,” Reyes said.
He recalled the paramedics asking him where he wanted to go.
“I was like, I don’t know either. Well, it looks like you’ve been through some really traumatic stuff, so we’re going to take you to OU,” Reyes said.
Reyes’ recovery extended beyond physical healing. Catheren Miller, a trauma program social worker with the Trauma Survivor Network, worked closely with him during his recovery.
“It is about the person as a whole. It is about the emotional aspect, the social aspect, the family, the friends, everything,” Miller said.
At the time of the accident, Reyes was working toward sobriety. He leaned on his recovery community for support, enrolled in college, earned his peer recovery support certification, and has now been sober for 20 months. He is using his experience to help others.
“I think that’s one of the most powerful things that somebody can have, especially to help the next person that might be going through addiction or a traumatic experience,” Reyes said. “Just anything that, I think, lived experience is such a powerful tool. And any recovery field, whether it’s trauma or addiction.”
Miller praised Reyes’ contributions to the Trauma Survivor Network.
“He’s just been an integral part of Trauma Survivor Network with me, with everything that we do,” she said. “I always reach out to him with any needs that I have. He’s my first call that I’m like, ‘Hey, let me get Andrew on this one because he would be as excellent on it.’”
Reyes’ doctors at OU Health have been amazed by his progress and his willingness to return to speak with healthcare providers to help them better understand situations like his.
“I think one of the special things about Andrew’s story is that he has really come full circle for us,” said Dr. Alisa Cross, OU Adult Trauma medical director. “He comes back to OU to teach about trauma, to help us be a lived expert for our trauma-informed care course, which really talks about recovery outside of trauma.”
For Reyes, his message is simple: recovery is possible and can lead to something greater.
“The life I have now compared to the life I had 20 months ago, I couldn’t imagine,” Reyes said. “The relationship I have with my parents is awesome, you know, to where it wasn’t before. In 20 months, I would never imagine I’d be where I’m at today, and I’m so grateful for that.”
Reyes said he hopes to continue helping people around him.
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