Speaker shares his miracle with others
By Joanne Fox | Posted: Monday, October 13, 2008
Michael Hattan poses in the fitness area of Opportunities Unlimited where he takes part in a number of therapeutic procedures after a serious motorcycle accident in 2006. Hattan now talks to others about the choices he made in hopes they won't experience the same results. (Staff photo by Jerry Mennenga)
Just two years ago, Michael Hattan was much like the wretch in the song "Amazing Grace."
Lost. Blind. And dead.
Through what health care providers at Opportunities Unlimited are saying is akin to a miracle, Hattan now speaks about those dark days of the soul in hopes to dissuade other young people from making some of the choices he did.
Hattan was involved in an accident June 16, 2006. He was high and speeding at over 100 miles per hour when he lost control and flipped his motorcycle.
His heart had stopped beating and Hattan was pronounced dead.
"God and the hospital staff brought me back to life," he said.
But he was by no means out of the woods. Hattan had sustained a traumatic brain injury that would take months of care.
Reflecting back on his life choices, Hattan's speech is deliberate and thoughtful. He spoke fondly, without regrets, of being a two-time state champion wrestler in high school, calling it a "dream come true."
Hattan talked openly of his addiction to meth in his sophomore year and cocaine in his junior year.
"I used drugs to beat the depression I had," he explained. "The drugs would work for a little while and I would feel depressed again when the drugs wore off."
Even an arrest for possession of marijuana in 2001 wasn't a deterrent for Hattan.
"Jail made me feel pathetic," he insisted. "I became more depressed with the drug use and adding jail time on top of it made it even worse for me."
Hattan regained that championship feeling when he learned the trade of arc welding. But the demons of the drugs remained and precipitated the motorcycle accident.
When he woke up in the Intensive Care Unit at Mercy Medical Center -- Sioux City, he recalled hearing someone say, "Michael, you're here. You're with us."
Hattan remained in the hospital for three months, said Stephanie Reinsch, president and CEO of Opportunities Unlimited.
"The hospital contacted us because Michael had nowhere to go to rehabilitate from his Traumatic Brain Injury," she explained. "When he came to us, he couldn't walk or talk and had no cognitive skills."
That meant that Hattan needed physical therapy, occupational therapy, exercise therapy, speech therapy, cognitive therapy, vocational therapy and community integration. He had to be re-taught something as simple as the ability to recognize hunger, which he claimed to have even after he had just eaten, Reinsch said.
If Hattan has held on to anything during this tough time in his life, it's his sense of humor, which is infectious.
"He's one of the most positive individuals I've ever seen, even on his bad days," Reinsch insisted.
"Oh there's been times when I've thought, 'To hell with it all,'" Hattan clarified with a twinkle in his eye. "But then I ask myself, 'Where would that get me?' Probably only away from everybody I love."
That includes the folks at Opportunities Unlimited; his parents, Dr. Michael L. and Jodi Hattan; his brother Tim; and his two daughters, Hannah and Madison.
Hattan, now 27, reads from a prepared text when he delivers his talk and admitted the story still gets to him.
"I cry a lot," he confessed.
"If someone had asked me when Michael arrived here what his chances at recovery might be, I would have shrugged my shoulders," Reinsch said. "It is so gratifying to see how far he's come in the 15 months he's been with us."
VITA
Name: Michael Hattan
Hometown: Dakota Dunes, S.D.
Education: 2000 graduate of Dakota Valley High School
Professional: Employed at Sioux City Arch Welding prior to his 2006 accident; currently employed in the maintenance department at Opportunities Unlimited
Personal: single; two daughters, Hannah and Madison
How he's making a difference: by sharing the story of his injury and rehabilitation with others
Lost. Blind. And dead.
Through what health care providers at Opportunities Unlimited are saying is akin to a miracle, Hattan now speaks about those dark days of the soul in hopes to dissuade other young people from making some of the choices he did.
Hattan was involved in an accident June 16, 2006. He was high and speeding at over 100 miles per hour when he lost control and flipped his motorcycle.
His heart had stopped beating and Hattan was pronounced dead.
"God and the hospital staff brought me back to life," he said.
But he was by no means out of the woods. Hattan had sustained a traumatic brain injury that would take months of care.
Reflecting back on his life choices, Hattan's speech is deliberate and thoughtful. He spoke fondly, without regrets, of being a two-time state champion wrestler in high school, calling it a "dream come true."
Hattan talked openly of his addiction to meth in his sophomore year and cocaine in his junior year.
"I used drugs to beat the depression I had," he explained. "The drugs would work for a little while and I would feel depressed again when the drugs wore off."
Even an arrest for possession of marijuana in 2001 wasn't a deterrent for Hattan.
"Jail made me feel pathetic," he insisted. "I became more depressed with the drug use and adding jail time on top of it made it even worse for me."
Hattan regained that championship feeling when he learned the trade of arc welding. But the demons of the drugs remained and precipitated the motorcycle accident.
When he woke up in the Intensive Care Unit at Mercy Medical Center -- Sioux City, he recalled hearing someone say, "Michael, you're here. You're with us."
Hattan remained in the hospital for three months, said Stephanie Reinsch, president and CEO of Opportunities Unlimited.
"The hospital contacted us because Michael had nowhere to go to rehabilitate from his Traumatic Brain Injury," she explained. "When he came to us, he couldn't walk or talk and had no cognitive skills."
That meant that Hattan needed physical therapy, occupational therapy, exercise therapy, speech therapy, cognitive therapy, vocational therapy and community integration. He had to be re-taught something as simple as the ability to recognize hunger, which he claimed to have even after he had just eaten, Reinsch said.
If Hattan has held on to anything during this tough time in his life, it's his sense of humor, which is infectious.
"He's one of the most positive individuals I've ever seen, even on his bad days," Reinsch insisted.
"Oh there's been times when I've thought, 'To hell with it all,'" Hattan clarified with a twinkle in his eye. "But then I ask myself, 'Where would that get me?' Probably only away from everybody I love."
That includes the folks at Opportunities Unlimited; his parents, Dr. Michael L. and Jodi Hattan; his brother Tim; and his two daughters, Hannah and Madison.
Hattan, now 27, reads from a prepared text when he delivers his talk and admitted the story still gets to him.
"I cry a lot," he confessed.
"If someone had asked me when Michael arrived here what his chances at recovery might be, I would have shrugged my shoulders," Reinsch said. "It is so gratifying to see how far he's come in the 15 months he's been with us."
VITA
Name: Michael Hattan
Hometown: Dakota Dunes, S.D.
Education: 2000 graduate of Dakota Valley High School
Professional: Employed at Sioux City Arch Welding prior to his 2006 accident; currently employed in the maintenance department at Opportunities Unlimited
Personal: single; two daughters, Hannah and Madison
How he's making a difference: by sharing the story of his injury and rehabilitation with others
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X lets just keep it at that wrote on Oct 19, 2008 12:42 AM:
Kim Hanson wrote on Oct 14, 2008 8:07 PM:
Melody Hansen wrote on Oct 13, 2008 2:40 PM: