Andre
25-02-2010, 03:03 PM
Very sad story... I pray for his recovery!
Link to Facebook Group
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=322084853817&ref=search&sid=584311296.1346981758..1&v=info
News Article
http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2010/02/25/injured-weightlifter-faces-complicated-surgery.html?sid=101
Injured weightlifter faces complicated surgery
Reconstructive work will attempt to restore crushed bones in head
Thursday, February 25, 2010 2:54 AM
By Jeb Phillips
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
A Granville amateur bodybuilder who almost died after a 250-pound weight fell on his face still can't breathe on his own. He remains in critical condition at Grant Medical Center.
Chris Harmon, 20, might be blind in his right eye, said his father, Scott Harmon. He has a broken jaw, broken cheekbones and very little of his nose left. He likely won't regain feeling in part of his face because of a severed nerve.
But there are reasons to be thankful, Mr. Harmon said yesterday.
Had the bar landed a couple of inches one way or another, his son could have been paralyzed or suffered brain damage. Had staff members at the Advantage Club, the Newark gym where Chris was working out, not reacted so quickly, Chris could have suffocated on his own blood.
Mr. Harmon is thankful for the nearly 1,500 members of the "Pray for Chris Harmon" Facebook group. And he is thankful for his son's tough personality.
When his son was little, Mr. Harmon used to punish him for misbehaving by making him do push-ups. Chris Harmon channeled that into a passion for weightlifting. Mr. Harmon feels certain he will channel this, too.
"He will make this into something positive," he said. "That's just the way he is."
Chris Harmon had bench-pressed a personal best 435 pounds Monday evening using free weights with a spotter. Then he moved to a Jones machine to continue his workout, said Kevin Rowe, owner of the Advantage Club. A Jones machine is a sort of cage that provides guide rails and safety catches for a weightlifting bar.
Jones machines are designed so solo lifters can work out safely without a spotter, said Jerry Greenspan, owner of Columbus Fitness Consultants and Exercise Equipment Experts. Greenspan said it would be unusual to use a spotter with that machine.
Chris Harmon was on the Jones machine to perform a decline bench press - lying down with his head lower than his feet - when the weight apparently slipped out of his hands and crushed his face, Rowe said. Chris rolled off the bench onto his knees, and blood began pouring from his face, Rowe said.
"It was a freak accident," Rowe said. "He was doing something he has probably done dozens if not hundreds of times before."
Chris Harmon first went to Licking Memorial Hospital in Newark, then to Grant. Substantial blood loss and difficulty breathing were the most pressing worries initially, Mr. Harmon said. Chris needed blood transfusions and an emergency tracheotomy, he said.
Chris is in critical but stable condition now, his father said. Doctors are using medication to keep him unconscious. A scheduled surgery to reconstruct his face has been delayed twice because of fluid around his lungs. That surgery often happens within several days of the injury to make sure the bones are stabilized and can heal properly, experts say.
The first surgery is complicated and often takes eight or nine hours, said Dr. Gregory Pearson, a craniofacial surgeon and assistant professor of clinical surgery at Ohio State's College of Medicine, Division of Plastic Surgery. Several broken bones in the face can make it difficult to find an undamaged one to use as a guide, he said.
Dr. Michael Vennemeyer, a plastic surgeon at Grant who isn't directly involved in Harmon's case, compared the surgery to putting together a puzzle with plates and screws. Recovery can take six to eight weeks, he said.
Harmon graduated from Granville High School in 2009 and attends Ohio State-Newark, his father said. He also works at his father's land-surveying business and had been hitting the Advantage Club almost every day.
A fund should be set up to help pay Chris' medical bills by Friday, Mr. Harmon said. People will be able to contribute to the Chris Harmon Fund at any Chase Bank branch, he said.
"Our primary focus is on his recovery," he said.
jeb.phillips@dispatch.com
Link to Facebook Group
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=322084853817&ref=search&sid=584311296.1346981758..1&v=info
News Article
http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2010/02/25/injured-weightlifter-faces-complicated-surgery.html?sid=101
Injured weightlifter faces complicated surgery
Reconstructive work will attempt to restore crushed bones in head
Thursday, February 25, 2010 2:54 AM
By Jeb Phillips
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
A Granville amateur bodybuilder who almost died after a 250-pound weight fell on his face still can't breathe on his own. He remains in critical condition at Grant Medical Center.
Chris Harmon, 20, might be blind in his right eye, said his father, Scott Harmon. He has a broken jaw, broken cheekbones and very little of his nose left. He likely won't regain feeling in part of his face because of a severed nerve.
But there are reasons to be thankful, Mr. Harmon said yesterday.
Had the bar landed a couple of inches one way or another, his son could have been paralyzed or suffered brain damage. Had staff members at the Advantage Club, the Newark gym where Chris was working out, not reacted so quickly, Chris could have suffocated on his own blood.
Mr. Harmon is thankful for the nearly 1,500 members of the "Pray for Chris Harmon" Facebook group. And he is thankful for his son's tough personality.
When his son was little, Mr. Harmon used to punish him for misbehaving by making him do push-ups. Chris Harmon channeled that into a passion for weightlifting. Mr. Harmon feels certain he will channel this, too.
"He will make this into something positive," he said. "That's just the way he is."
Chris Harmon had bench-pressed a personal best 435 pounds Monday evening using free weights with a spotter. Then he moved to a Jones machine to continue his workout, said Kevin Rowe, owner of the Advantage Club. A Jones machine is a sort of cage that provides guide rails and safety catches for a weightlifting bar.
Jones machines are designed so solo lifters can work out safely without a spotter, said Jerry Greenspan, owner of Columbus Fitness Consultants and Exercise Equipment Experts. Greenspan said it would be unusual to use a spotter with that machine.
Chris Harmon was on the Jones machine to perform a decline bench press - lying down with his head lower than his feet - when the weight apparently slipped out of his hands and crushed his face, Rowe said. Chris rolled off the bench onto his knees, and blood began pouring from his face, Rowe said.
"It was a freak accident," Rowe said. "He was doing something he has probably done dozens if not hundreds of times before."
Chris Harmon first went to Licking Memorial Hospital in Newark, then to Grant. Substantial blood loss and difficulty breathing were the most pressing worries initially, Mr. Harmon said. Chris needed blood transfusions and an emergency tracheotomy, he said.
Chris is in critical but stable condition now, his father said. Doctors are using medication to keep him unconscious. A scheduled surgery to reconstruct his face has been delayed twice because of fluid around his lungs. That surgery often happens within several days of the injury to make sure the bones are stabilized and can heal properly, experts say.
The first surgery is complicated and often takes eight or nine hours, said Dr. Gregory Pearson, a craniofacial surgeon and assistant professor of clinical surgery at Ohio State's College of Medicine, Division of Plastic Surgery. Several broken bones in the face can make it difficult to find an undamaged one to use as a guide, he said.
Dr. Michael Vennemeyer, a plastic surgeon at Grant who isn't directly involved in Harmon's case, compared the surgery to putting together a puzzle with plates and screws. Recovery can take six to eight weeks, he said.
Harmon graduated from Granville High School in 2009 and attends Ohio State-Newark, his father said. He also works at his father's land-surveying business and had been hitting the Advantage Club almost every day.
A fund should be set up to help pay Chris' medical bills by Friday, Mr. Harmon said. People will be able to contribute to the Chris Harmon Fund at any Chase Bank branch, he said.
"Our primary focus is on his recovery," he said.
jeb.phillips@dispatch.com