Thad's Story

                                Thad's Story

On a curvy road just outside town in Vincennes Indiana, 16-year-old Thaddeus Dustin Talley was on his way to his grandma's house with some fresh vegetables before heading to his summer job as a bagger at Kroger's grocery store. Suddenly, a car turned in front of him. It was 10:30AM on June 19th, 1989. At this very moment, Thad's life took an unexpected turn. After hearing his story, you'll wonder what kind of psychological effects his accident has had on him. You'll also understand why he's not only my boyfriend, but also my hero and the strongest man I've ever known.

After clipping the left rear bumper of the oncoming car, Thad's truck flew 178 feet into the air, barrel-rolled 6 times while flipping end-over-end 12 times. A lady was outside in her back yard hanging clothes on her clothesline and saw the whole accident take place. His truck landed in the driveway in front of the home and his body flew out the sunroof and landed in her back yard. He landed in a tripod position, head and knees first., making an 8-inch impression in the dry summer ground and crushing his thoracic 4 & 5 vertebrae. Miraculously, Thad never lost consciousness. He knew, even from the first few moments, that something horrible had happened. He had no feeling from his chest down.

When Lifeflight arrived, Thad was rushed to Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis. He remained conscious the entire time, even through the insertion of chest tubes and severe internal bleeding. Upon his arrival at Methodist, exploratory surgery was performed to determine the extent and severity of his injuries. He went through tachycardia and defibrillation 12 times and literally "lost life" 3 times before becoming stable. 

Over the next three weeks, he remained heavily sedated while multiple surgeries were performed to repair vertebrae and all of the other broken bones and damages organs. After three weeks, without a single external scratch, he learned of his internal injuries. In addition to crushing his T4 & T5 vertebrae and damaging his spinal cord beyond repair (leaving him a paraplegic), he had also bruised 75% of his heart, broken all the ribs in back and 75% in front, punctured his left lung and completely severed his right, broke both clavicles in two different places, and ruptured his spleen. He also crushed every bone and severed a nerve in his left arm, leaving him with limited feeling and use of his left hand.

Before he was even allowed to speak to his mother for the first time, the hospital sent a psychologist in to speak with him about his new life in a wheelchair and how things were going to change. Being a stubborn 16-year-old boy, he immediately asked the therapist to leave and he has never spoken with one since. He attributes his strength and coping skills to his strong family upbringing, his stubborn nature, and his sheer zest for life. From the day he had the accident, he has always felt as if he was given a second chance at life. He could have chosen to give up or to live. He chose to live. He has a beautiful and supportive family he knew he couldn't leave.

He decided to take every adversity that came his way and turn it into a challenge. There is nothing he can't do. His first challenge was to beat the timeframe the physical therapist had for his recovery. He was told he would spend 6-9 months in the hospital recovering. He told them he would start his junior year of high school with the rest of his class and that's exactly what he did. After three months of therapy he went home on a Sunday night, slept in his own bed for the first time since the accident, and started junior year with the rest of his class the following morning. He was an avid hunter and fisherman before the accident and still is to this day. He drives, boats, swims, and has a professional career, just like any other man, but he is certainly much stronger on the inside. 

And this is why he's my hero...