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Mike
and Laura Browning
InMotion July–August
2002,Volume 13, Issue 4
 Life was good for Mike and Laura
Browning. The Washington couple was
living in a peaceful paradise on
Whidbey Island, just north of Seattle,
and they would soon become empty-nesters
upon the high school graduation of
their youngest child.
A motorcycle accident would change
everything.
One cool, crisp spring day in May
2001, Mike was riding his new Gold
Wing motorcycle with Laura on the
back. Though Mike thought it would
be convenient to have a motorcycle
for the ferry ride to the mainland,
Laura had some reservations. It was
only the third time she had been
on the bike.
They had joined a motorcycle club
and were on their way to a bike meet
in Bremerton, Washington, with three
other couples, all on motorcycles.
Then, on a stretch of road between
the island towns of Greenbank and
Freeland, Mike’s bike suddenly
went airborne. The front wheel twisted
to the right and Mike was thrown
into a road sign, which immediately
severed his right leg above the knee.
His left shoulder was also shattered
and his left leg was injured. Laura
doesn’t remember what happened,
but she later learned that the 800-pound
motorcycle landed on top of her,
severing the main artery in her leg.
Fortunately, two of the accompanying
riders were Vietnam veterans and
one was a nurse. They immediately
began caring for both Mike and Laura.
Miraculously, a rescue helicopter
was also in the area on a call that
had turned out to be a false alarm.
Mike was flown to a trauma hospital
in Seattle and Laura shortly followed.
One of the paramedics knew the Brownings’ children
and talked to Laura to keep her awake.
Laura only remembers that she was
afraid she would be paralyzed. Later,
her right leg had to be amputated
above the knee in an effort to save
her life because of internal bleeding.
The couple spent two months in the
hospital missing the graduation ceremony
of their youngest daughter, which
was held a month after the accident.
While in rehab, they happened to
see a video about amputation and
prosthetics from a prosthetic facility
in Oklahoma, and they saw amputees
doing things they thought they would
never be able to do again. "I
realized it didn’t look so
bad, and I was encouraged to think
someday I might be able to live a
normal life again," Laura says.
At the same time, she was angry and
depressed and struggled to forgive
Mike for putting her on the back
of the motorcycle that day. "It
was hard to think that I had to live
with this disability for the rest
of my life."
Mike had always been protective of
Laura and suffered from immense guilt
for putting her in harm’s way.
It hurt him to see her angry and
depressed, and it was a long time
before he could forgive himself and
receive her forgiveness in return.
Life became a series of baby steps
for the couple, and help and support
from family and friends played a
significant part in their healing
process. Laura would move away from
her depression and anger when she
found herself able to do things she
hadn’t been able to do since
the accident. Simple tasks like getting
on and off the ferry, making her
way through Wal-Mart without a disabled
cart, and bending over to tie a shoe
were all milestones. The couple even
drove several hours to pick up a
new puppy and proudly said, "We
did it!" when they arrived home.
Their turning point was when they
attended the college graduation of
an older daughter about a year later.
With Laura on crutches and Mike using
a cane, the couple managed to maneuver
through airports and planes and to
do all kinds of tourist things in
New York City and Boston.
In summer 2002, they attended the
ACA Educational Conference & Exposition
in Anaheim, California. There, among
other amputees, they learned that
they really weren’t alone and
that they didn’t have to "fight
this thing all by themselves." In
addition, they discovered Scott Sabolich
Prosthetics & Research, the Oklahoma
City prosthetic facility they had
originally seen in the video when
they were in rehab.
They decided then and there that
they wanted to go to Oklahoma City.
A best friend loaned them his RV,
and they drove the more than 2,000
miles to get new legs. "The
financial counselors worked so hard
to get our insurance approval," says
Mike. "Everyone was just amazing,
but the best part was meeting amputees
from all over the world, some with
much more severe amputations than
we have." Laura also learned
an important lesson. "We met
a man with no arms who was such an
inspiration," she says. "I
thought if he can be so positive,
then so can I."
"Laura had serious injuries," says Scott Sabolich, the couple’s
prosthetist. "She also has a very short residual limb, scar tissue and
hypersensitivity on areas that require pressure, all making her a challenge
to fit."
Laura still struggles with some things
like having to walk with a cane,
but she believes that at some point
she will be able to stop using it
and walk freely. She wants to be
able to walk and play with her grandchildren. "I
think it's important that people
realize that it takes time to feel
like a whole person again. And every
day is a learning day as we figure
out how to do things. Differently."
The couple is currently participating
in a C-Leg study at the Seattle-based
Prosthetics Research Study with Douglas
G. Smith, MD. Their new knees help
them tackle the steep hills in Seattle
and walk on the uneven island terrain.
While the couple was in rehab, neighbors
mowed their lawn, prepared their
meals, and even made their house
payments. Now Mike and Laura want
to give back. They plan to volunteer
with "Hearts and Hammers," a
program that helps island inhabitants
and that once helped them.
A new "fifth wheel" hooks
onto the back of their pickup truck
will also allow them to continue
doing one of the things they love — travel.
The first place they plan to go is
to Arizona to visit a daughter, son-in-law
and two- year-old grandson. Their
E-mail address says it all — phase2@whidbey.com."Doors will be opened," says
Mike, as he puts his arm protectively
around Laura. "We just have
to leave that up to the good Lord."
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