Westwood stages rousing sendoff for injured classmate
By Dolly A. Butzdbutz@siouxcityjournal.com | Posted: Friday, November 21, 2008
Westwood junior Calvin Smith holds a sign while waiting for an ambulance with wrestler Blake Jorgensen to arrive at Sioux Gateway Airport Thursday. Westwood students held a send-off rally for Jorgensen who was injured in a car accident Nov. 8. He was headed to Colorado to continue treatment for his injuries. (Sioux City Journal photo by Tim Hynds)
SERGEANT BLUFF, Iowa -- A Westwood High School wrestler injured in a car accident earlier this month received a warm send-off from students and faculty Thursday at Jet Sun Aviation.
Fifteen-year-old Blake Jorgensen, of Sloan, Iowa, flew from Sioux City to Denver, where he will continue his rehabilitation at Craig Hospital, a facility dedicated to specialty rehabilitation and research for patients with spinal cord injury and traumatic brain injury.
Jorgensen emerged from an ambulance shortly after 10:30 a.m. to see six bus loads of friends and classmates cheering, holding signs and waving navy blue and yellow pom poms from school bus windows.
"Blake is part of this rebel family and our theme is, 'We're all in this together,'" Westwood Community Schools Superintendent Kirk Ahrends said. "This is our last chance to let him know we're all here for him and cheering him on when he goes out to Colorado."
As paramedics wheeled Jorgensen's stretcher across the runway to a white, twin-engine prop plane, chants of "Blake. Blake. Blake," thundered from the yellow school buses, parked in two rows of three.
Jorgensen was one of five Westwood High School wrestlers who were injured, along with their coach, on Nov. 8 while driving to a wrestling event in a nearby school district. The vehicle they were riding in collided with an oncoming minivan on Iowa Highway 141 near Hornick, Iowa.
The impact killed Bradley Haburn, 53, of Spencer. Haburn, who was driving the minivan, has a son who attends Westwood School.
The Westwood Community School District started two hours late Thursday, so students could travel to Sioux City to support Jorgensen.
The school buses, packed with students, arrived around 9 a.m. A group of girls screamed, "We love Blake," as the buses filed one by one into a metal fenced in area outside of the terminal.
Westwood High School junior Calvin Smith made a sign for Jorgensen that read, "We're all in this together. See yah soon Blake."
Smith, who said he visited Jorgensen in the hospital, said he was excited to see his friend take the next step in the rehabilitation process.
"He's doing well," Smith said. "I wish him well."
After a few minutes, Jorgensen was loaded onto the plane, the cabin door shut, the plane taxied, and then took off into the blue sky.
Ahrends said the send off is "emotional" for all involved, but he said everyone understands that Jorgensen needs to go to Colorado to get better.
"We'd rather have Blake back at our school right now with us, but we know he has to go out there and take on this challenge," he said.
Three still in fair condition
A Mercy Medical Center spokeswoman said Thursday that Westwood wrestling coach Daniel Thompson and two remaining teens -- Trent Baker, 16, of Sloan; and Adam Greeno, 16, of Salix -- were listed in fair condition.
On Monday Sage Washburn, 16, of Hornick, Iowa, was released from the hospital. Jordan Mitchell, 18, of Sloan, was released last week.
Fifteen-year-old Blake Jorgensen, of Sloan, Iowa, flew from Sioux City to Denver, where he will continue his rehabilitation at Craig Hospital, a facility dedicated to specialty rehabilitation and research for patients with spinal cord injury and traumatic brain injury.
Jorgensen emerged from an ambulance shortly after 10:30 a.m. to see six bus loads of friends and classmates cheering, holding signs and waving navy blue and yellow pom poms from school bus windows.
"Blake is part of this rebel family and our theme is, 'We're all in this together,'" Westwood Community Schools Superintendent Kirk Ahrends said. "This is our last chance to let him know we're all here for him and cheering him on when he goes out to Colorado."
As paramedics wheeled Jorgensen's stretcher across the runway to a white, twin-engine prop plane, chants of "Blake. Blake. Blake," thundered from the yellow school buses, parked in two rows of three.
Jorgensen was one of five Westwood High School wrestlers who were injured, along with their coach, on Nov. 8 while driving to a wrestling event in a nearby school district. The vehicle they were riding in collided with an oncoming minivan on Iowa Highway 141 near Hornick, Iowa.
The impact killed Bradley Haburn, 53, of Spencer. Haburn, who was driving the minivan, has a son who attends Westwood School.
The Westwood Community School District started two hours late Thursday, so students could travel to Sioux City to support Jorgensen.
The school buses, packed with students, arrived around 9 a.m. A group of girls screamed, "We love Blake," as the buses filed one by one into a metal fenced in area outside of the terminal.
Westwood High School junior Calvin Smith made a sign for Jorgensen that read, "We're all in this together. See yah soon Blake."
Smith, who said he visited Jorgensen in the hospital, said he was excited to see his friend take the next step in the rehabilitation process.
"He's doing well," Smith said. "I wish him well."
After a few minutes, Jorgensen was loaded onto the plane, the cabin door shut, the plane taxied, and then took off into the blue sky.
Ahrends said the send off is "emotional" for all involved, but he said everyone understands that Jorgensen needs to go to Colorado to get better.
"We'd rather have Blake back at our school right now with us, but we know he has to go out there and take on this challenge," he said.
Three still in fair condition
A Mercy Medical Center spokeswoman said Thursday that Westwood wrestling coach Daniel Thompson and two remaining teens -- Trent Baker, 16, of Sloan; and Adam Greeno, 16, of Salix -- were listed in fair condition.
On Monday Sage Washburn, 16, of Hornick, Iowa, was released from the hospital. Jordan Mitchell, 18, of Sloan, was released last week.
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Westwood alum wrote on Nov 21, 2008 9:11 AM: