One man’s fight for life leads to changes in perspective.
After Oscar world turned upside down, he began to see the upside of life.
It took only a split second for Oscar world to change.
It was surreal how he could still hear everything: The calls of his companions as they searched for him, his young children’s cries for their father, Justin Beiber’s “Love Yourself” still playing faintly on the radio. The only sound missing was his own breath: He was lying still, not breathing, and fighting for his life.
For Oscar, the resilience he was relying on to live was familiar; it was a characteristic he developed at a young age, along with his fierce sense of independence. He grew up in New Mexico, just miles from the Mexico border, where violence and gangs were a common way of life. He moved to Craig with his father when he was 11, but his teen years were tumultuous. By 15, he left his father’s house and later began working in the oil fields. It was hard work, but it was a job he loved and that gave him a purpose, cultivating a strong work ethic. He excelled and became a foreman at the age of 20. Just a few weeks shy of his 20th birthday, Oscar became a father for the first time.
“In just a split second, your whole life flips upside down.”
On the day of the accident, Oscar was returning from a camping trip with his two young children, two adult companions, and his beloved dog, Roxy. He was in the passenger seat when they took a sharp turn too quickly and the Ford F-250 rolled multiple times, ejecting him through the open window. The injuries were extensive: His C6 and C7 vertebrae, left scapula, left clavicle, and all the ribs along his left side were broken, and both lungs were punctured. The difference between life and death came in the form of two off-duty first responders — a firefighter and an EMT — who had witnessed the accident and began administering care as soon as they arrived. Oscar was life-flighted to Grand Junction, where he underwent surgery and remained in a medically induced coma during his first two weeks in the hospital.
When he awoke and came to understand the gravity of his injuries, Oscar felt lost. “What do I do from here?” he remembers thinking. He knew he couldn’t go back to work in the oil fields. As a single father, he was responsible for his children. How was he going to care for them?
“Medicaid just covers so much…it’s really helpful. I couldn’t do it all by myself.”
At first, Oscar refused to ask for help; he was a strong 26-year-old and didn’t care how long it took him to do something as long as he was doing it himself. His body may have changed, but his resilience and need for independence remained untouched. His older brother assumed the primary caregiver role, helping Oscar adjust to the daily activities of his new life, and their two younger sisters offered support. Four months later, Oscar enlisted the help of a home health service, a benefit of his Health First Colorado (Colorado’s Medicaid Program) coverage. It was a welcomed relief for his brother and added support for them all, but it also opened a new sense of vulnerability for Oscar. He was grateful but struggled to accept the help — and that his boundaries needed to change.
“The first year was trial and error,” he admits. “I had to figure out how to work on myself and with the kids as well.”
Oscar now leans into the support his caregivers provide as they continue to learn from each other. There’s a shared understanding of the importance for Oscar to first try a task without assistance and that help is only given when he requests it. His independence is further bolstered by other benefits of his Health First Colorado coverage, including his wheelchair, physical therapy services, and transportation assistance from the Northwest Colorado Center for Independence. He can’t fathom what the costs would be without coverage and knows undoubtedly that he would be living a much different life without his insurance.
He acknowledges that his perceptions of what truly matters in life have shifted and is focused on making every moment matter, refusing to take anything for granted — especially time with his kids. The activities they do together may look different than when they were younger, but they cherish the precious time together. At the center of it all is Oscar’s acceptance of his new life; he continues his journey forward.
“If you keep thinking about the past, that’s where your mind will stay. You’ve got to move forward. Will we know why something happened? Maybe, maybe not.”
