Bryan Bowers is a neighbor of mine. His home is just down the street from where we live. Although out in the country, anyone within a few kilometers is a neighbor. I have not met Bryan. I only know about him through his story. He is a fellow cyclist and he is an inspiration.

From what I understand, Bryan regularly rode to work from north of the city of Kingston — Unity Road down to Division Street.

On May 15, he was heading down the hill on Division towards the 401 overpass when a transport truck made a left turn across his path. The driver, from Kansas, was charged and issued a $120 ticket.

Bryan did not fare so well:

After being rushed to the KGH emergency department, Bowers was diagnosed with a torn aorta, lacerated kidneys, five broken ribs, a punctured lung, a shattered left hip, broken left forearm and severely shattered right hand and wrist.

He currently has a large hematoma on his left hip, beneath which the bones are held together with an array of screws and wires. He walks slowly and stiff-legged because of the reduced mobility.

His right hand suffered perhaps the worst damage, inside and out. Still bandaged, it required extensive internal repairs and reconstructive plastic surgery.

That’s not all. One week into a medically induced coma, Bowers suffered cardiac arrest.

“I did flatline for a while. There was so much damage, my system shut down and my heart restarted itself,” he said.

The staff at St. Mary’s of the Lake now have him on a rigorous daily routine of hydrotherapy, occupational therapy and afternoon physiotherapy, which includes the stationary bike workouts.

You can read the full story here.

My friends at J&J Cycle sent Bryan a new bicycle. Such awesome folks. Go and get your next bike at J&Js.

As for Bryan, he intends to get back on his bike again.