July 11, 2005

Back On Course

Genesis Rehabilitation Helps Young Golfer On Path to Recovery

The banter on the makeshift driving range behind Genesis Plaza in Bettendorf was as warm as the summer heat.

Tyler Swanson talked between every swing of his driver. He talked with physical therapist, Karen Steidler. He jabbed at his father, Cal, who was watching intently from the sidelines. Steidler and Cal Swanson listened and made suggestions and offered encouragement.

The May 2, 2004 accident on Interstate 80 two miles east of Grinnell, Iowa was horrific. No one is sure exactly what happened. Tyler Swanson, a rising star in college golf at Iowa State University, was headed home to Ames from Iowa City in the early morning hours with Iowa State golf teammate and friend Curtis Foster. Tyler was driving. He may have fallen asleep at the wheel. He may have swerved to avoid an animal, or other obstacle, on the highway.

Swanson, of Clinton, and Foster were thrown from the vehicle as it cartwheeled end-over-end. Foster suffered a broken back. Swanson suffered a severe brain injury. Swanson was found face down only a few feet from the traffic on the Interstate.

“There were a few incredible things that happened that night that probably saved Tyler,’’ said Cindy Swanson, his mother. “One is that even though he was injured himself, Curtis was coherent enough to know that Tyler was missing and he told people on the scene."

“Three of the people who stopped were EMTs in Cedar Rapids. If it had not been EMTs who found Tyler and knew how to respond, would he (Tyler) have survived? We don’t know. I think those things help explain why Tyler has been able to stay as positive and upbeat has he has throughout this."

“He has been blessed. We all have been.’’

Only hours after the accident, Cal and Cindy Swanson were told that their son might not survive.

Before the accident, Tyler Swanson was beginning to display poise and potential as a young golfer. At 19 years old, he was the first amateur to ever make the 36-hole cut in the history of the John Deere Classic, a stop on the PGA Tour, the top rung of professional golf.

Last summer, he was able to attend the tournament in Silvis, but, without a portion of his skull that had been removed to give his damaged brain room to swell.

Road to Recovery
Last week was tournament week at the John Deere Classic. As the tournament was played at the Tournament Players Club at Deere Run in Silvis, Ill., Swanson was playing his own, very personal tournament on his makeshift practice area behind Genesis Plaza. He worked with a swing stick, a device with no golf club head that measures swing speed.

“That swing was 90 (miles per hour),’’ Steidler reported with a big smile. “That’s a long way from where we were.’’

Two years ago, the club head speed of Swanson’s drives were in the 110 to 120 miles per hour range, which is the range of a professional driving the ball 270 yards or farther. Steidler, who played competitive golf in high school, has gotten the swing stick to 100 miles per hour herself.

After practicing with the swing stick, Swanson hits plastic balls with his driver on the site where the new Genesis VNA and Hospice Clarissa Cook House will be built. Steidler knows Swanson’s swing and can notice glitches in it that she points out between each swing. The tougher task for Swanson than swinging the club may be retrieving the balls. He walks to the balls and bends painstakingly to pick them up from the ground with his left hand.

“I’m glad I’m not hitting real balls. I’d have to walk too far to pick them up,’’ Tyler Swanson admits.

Tyler Swanson is not where he would like to be. He would like to be playing in tournament such as the John Deere Classic. However, considering where he started following the accident, his progress has been remarklable, according to everyone working with him. He has regained speech, mobility, he drives and is back in school at Iowa State. He is making strides that are noticeable to family and to the Genesis staff working with him.

“If he only wanted to be a recreational golfer again, he is already there,’’ Steidler explained. “He can play and he can walk nine holes. That isn’t enough to satisfy Tyler. He wants to continue to the next level again. He wants to play at the highest level.’’

Conway Chin, M.D. and Medical Director of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Services at Genesis Medical Center, Davenport, believes Tyler Swanson can some day achieve his dream of playing at the highest level of golf.  Dr. Chin has worked closely with Swanson since last summer when Swanson entered Genesis Medical Center, West Central Park, as an inpatient to continue his rehabilitation.

“Tyler has the drive of people I typically see who make excellent recoveries,’’ Dr. Chin said. “I think the recovery we have already seen puts him in a category that I would call remarkable.

“I definitely feel that given time, he has the capability to achieve his goals in golf.  He may not be able to achieve his goals in the time frame he would like, but he is capable of achieving them.’’

Large Strides
Dr. Chin said Swanson has already made great progress by walking again and returning to college classes. “It is exceptional progress for Tyler to be able to go back to college. You see a lot of courageous people in this area of medicine. I would put Tyler among them.’’

Steidler has become a golf coach for Swanson. She works on drills with Swanson to strengthen his left side, the side most damaged by his right side brain injury. She is helping him design a swing that can be effective for him and she is working on his walking, which would be a requirement of playing professional golf.

“I knew it was possible that he would walk and play golf again. He is very determined, which makes it fun to work with him,’’ Steidler added. “He has already been successful. How well he wants to get at golf is now going to be up to him. I can’t tell him he can’t do it.’’

Swanson also is working on a weekly basis with Genesis occupational therapists Sue Clemens and Liz Vandewiele. Their role in Swanson’s recovery has been to retrain him to use his upper body and extremities to complete tasks of daily living. His motor skills have improved to the point where he is able to handle routine tasks.

Swanson is upbeat. He smiles and jokes often. Dr. Chin said severe depression is common after brain injuries. Cal Swanson said his son has not had to take anti-depressents at any point in his recovery. There is a network of family, friends and therapists who have kept Swanson from getting down.

“Tyler has had days when he has been down. He doesn’t let it affect him or limit his determination to get better. That has been crucial in his recovery,’’ Dr. Chin said.

Tyler’s mother, Cindy, said instead of being depressed about his circumstances, “Tyler knows he has been incredibly blessed to survive.’’

Leaving his personal driving range after a workout, Tyler Swanson joked about his long legs and how he is now again able to easily handle steps. “I can take big steps with these legs.’’

The Genesis staff working with Tyler Swanson has witnessed those big steps.