Inspiration From a "One Armed Bandit"

Inspiration: Meeting Brett Cole

Right knee puck grinding on the deck, engine screaming, I was certain I was approaching perfection in turn nine at JenningsGP...until a rider cruised effortlessly past me on the outside and easily gapped me through the next few turns. Each time this happens, I am inspired to brake a little later, lean the bike a bit further, and twist the grip that just much more. This time, however, it was a bit different. Not only was the guy on a Honda Hawk 650, with less than half the horsepower of my bike, but there was something missing on his right side...his entire arm! I received my greatest inspiration that day when I got to talk to him in the paddock.

The occasion was in early March, when I met with friends to enjoy two days of JenningsGP's fourteen turns at speed. In the process of set-up and getting acquainted with the occupants of the surrounding pits, we discovered that the young guy there with his parents from Alabama was missing an arm. His right arm. All of it, plus the shoulder and collarbone! I was intrigued, but the whirlwind of activity that accompanies track prep kept me from spending much time with them.

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After working through the first session jitters the next day, we started to pay more attention to what was happening around us. It quickly became clear that Brett, the young guy in question, was no newbie to track riding. We observed the way he handled his machine in the pits, helped his dad, David, prepare for his novice sessions, and that Brett was no slouch on the track! In fact, by days end my friend Etienne (an advanced group rider), confirmed that Brett was running lap times that could easily place him in the advanced group if he so wished. He really got our attention, even more so when Etienne told Brett how much he respected and admired him. Brett's response was a simple "Why?".

Before the Accident

Unlike many of us whose motorcycle addiction started in the dirt, Brett Cole began his on a street bike. After meeting all the requirements his parents had set before him, Brett passed a Motorcycle Safety Federation course and received his motorcycle driver's license at the age of fifteen. He had his eye on a Honda Rebel 250 cruiser at the local bike shop (he didn't want to be associated with the negative image some sportbikers earned), but one of the MSF instructors had a 1989 Honda Hawk 650 for sale. Brett was taken by it and made it his first bike. He was mature for his age and had established a solid history of responsible behavior with his Mom and Dad. Both of them told me they never had to worry about whether Brett wore his safety gear, or that he might act up on his bike.

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Brett became proficient on his bike very quickly, and soon tested his skills on the racetrack, attending track days with his motorcycle club at nearby Barber Motorsports Park. Brett also started buying motorcycles and fixing them up for resale to help fund his addiction. He did well on the track, and racing was his goal. In February, 2007, Brett enrolled in the Ed Bargy Racing school to get the qualifications he needed to receive his racing license. However, just two days before the scheduled date, he was involved in an accident that would change his life.

Brett's Brush with Death

Brett had just installed new tires on the Suzuki SV650 he planned on using for the track school. He was on a short ride to get gas and gently scrub the tires in when an SUV swerved into his lane, striking him head-on.
The impact was powerful, damaging both vehicles extensively and leaving Brett fighting for his life. Brett's only recollection of the accident is a vague impression of a large, threatening, dark object coming at him in his lane. His next memory is waking up in the hospital. In the time between those two events, much happened. Brett was rushed to the Hospital where trauma doctors battled to save his life. Accidents like the one Brett was involved in have a very high mortality rate; the damage to his right arm and shoulder area was devastating.

As the trauma team worked on Brett it became evident that they would not be able to save his arm. The lead surgeon compassionately presented the options to Brett's mom, Coleen. Still she had to make a heart-rending choice: Brett would either lose his arm, or lose his life.

Without hesitation she told the doctor to do whatever it took to save her son. Brett's father David had just left on a business trip, he found out about the accident after his flight touched down. He was able to get on a flight home almost immediately, though not before a friend called to let him know that his son would lose his arm. David spent the flight home praying and preparing himself to be strong for his wife while they waited out the long hours during which their son would hang in the balance between life and death. Friends, family, and their Pastor visited and stayed with them to lend strength through the ordeal.

After a daunting surgery and several complications, Brett was finally stabilized.

Recovery

This would be the beginning of a long and very painful recovery. After nine days in the hospital Brett went home to begin a much longer healing and rehabilitation process. Even with medication, the pain from his injuries was intense and all consuming for large blocks of time. Some of the worst sensations came from "phantom pain" seeming to originate in areas of the missing limb. Through faith in his Lord and sheer determination, Brett soldiered through and learned to do more and more with his non-dominant left hand.

Brett's voice became slightly more solemn when he spoke with me about the accident, his ordeal through rehab, and the person responsible for the accident. Though he could be justified in being bitter and angry over what life has brought his way, Brett chooses instead to sum it up by simply saying " Well that stinks, let's move on." And Brett is adept at finding ways to do so.

"...When he rides, it doesn't hurt..."

To the amazement of those attending him, some of Brett's first words after coming to post surgery, were about his bike and riding. Even after being told he had lost his right arm, his concerns were about which bike he had been on and about what would be involved in fixing it. Incredibly, there was no question of whether he would ride again, just a determination to get better, and make the necessary modifications to the bike to accommodate his new needs.

Soon, Brett started converting his Hawk to left hand controls, and working on it became an important therapy for him. A life-long history of doggedly finding a way to accomplish a task served Brett well in the process, as he had to find new ways of doing almost every action when working on his bike.

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To prepare the Hawk for his left hand only riding, Brett rotated the stock clutch lever down as far as possible and mounted a Kawasaki Ninja hydraulic clutch master cylinder and lever above it to handle front braking duties. A Motion Pro push/pull throttle resides on the left bar-end, it's "push" side hooked up to the "pull" cable opening the Hawk's butterflies in a conventional backward twisting fashion. With throttle , brake and clutch all on one bar-end, there is much for his left hand to deal with. The clutch is employed almost exclusively for starting. Pointers from other one-arm riders, and practice, have enabled Brett to make clutchless upshifts and downshifts. Brett also set up his first dirt bike, a Yamaha TTR 225, with left hand controls. He spent a lot of time practicing on it before he made his way back to the roadrace track aboard the Hawk.

Six months after the accident that took his arm, Brett was back on the track at Barber Motor Speedway. It was a poignant day for the whole Cole family. Many people would question Brett's decision to get back on a bike and go fast, and his parents decision to support him in it. Mom's response is that "Brett finds true joy in riding, how could I take that away from him after what he has lost? It would say I don't trust God to take care of him.", and Dad told me, "Brett says that when he rides he doesn't hurt." If they forced their will on their son, it would make him become someone other than who he is. As far as Brett is concerned, there wasn't a choice. Motorcycles have fascinated him from his earliest memories, he lives to ride. Even if it means making major changes to his hardware, technique, and attitudes.

Still, getting back on the track was no slam dunk. More than just the familiar pre-session butterflies plagued Brett as he got his gear together and warmed up by riding slowly around the paddock. Not sure how he would react to actually being out on the course with other riders at speed, Brett left his options open to volunteer for crash truck or tech duty. But once he got on the track the anxiety left and he committed to riding all day.

What to do with the Empty Sleeve

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Because the right sleeve of Brett's leathers was now empty, it would need to be secured. First, they used duct tape. As Brett be came more confident and his speed picked up the wind blast tore the tape loose, letting the empty sleeve wave about in the slipstream, duct tape streaming behind like silvery fingers. The corner workers were rather "surprised" at his appearance, one can only imagine what the other riders thought! A bungee cord finally proved to be the solution to the errant sleeve problem till the suit could be tailored later. Consistently dragging his knees at the next track day, Brett was tempted to free the sleeve to drag on the right turns as well, keeping it restrained only for the benefit of the officials. Remarkably, Brett doesn't take himself too seriously, and can find humor in hardest times. He often makes jokes when asked how he lost his arm, mischievously easing any awkwardness that might exist in the inquiry.

In addition to the road race prepped Hawk, Brett now rides a Yamaha WR250F offroad. He stepped up from a TTR 225 to gain the benefit of a more sophisticated suspension. Some of the gymnastics inherent to dirt biking are very difficult to master without the benefit of two arms. Riding while standing on the pegs (a major off-road requirement) is particularly hard. The plush suspension of the WR helps to soak up jolts to Brett's spine when he is unable to get off the seat.

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Brett has had to face a daunting array of challenges in every area of his life since his accident. Those of us who ride on two wheels know the complexities that come along with the experience, and can imagine how they multiply with only one arm to work with.

Family Affair

The Cole family is a close knit group. The depth of respect and love for one another becomes evident when talking to any family member. Coleen told me that, "even though people thought I was being a rock, I don't know what I would have done if Stacey hadn't been there to lean on and make the calls to friends and relatives" , in the hours that doctors worked to save Brett. And of their reliance on the Lord: "If we had not been Christians, I don't know how we would have made it through the hardest parts. We would have become so bitter."

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As parents, David and Coleen had to watch their son lose a seemingly essential part of his body, and struggle with pain and fear that they would have gladly borne themselves instead. They were there through the hardest parts of treatment and rehab, and then watched as their son got back on the bike, dealing with all the accompanying bittersweet emotions. Brett's sister, Stacey, took time away from college to be there for her brother and family. And Brett himself fought hard through the new challenges with a positive attitude rather than that of bitterness and self- pity.

Asked what they would like others to take away from their experience, David replied "God is in complete control, even when things don't make sense." And from observing Brett, David related a Bible verse: "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." Coleen said "Have faith in God, He is aways there and will take care of you."

Brett echoes these sentiments and adds: "Wear your gear!" He firmly believes he would not be alive today if he had not been wearing the same kind of gear he did at the track, including full leathers.

The Future

Brett is attending college classes now, working on an undergraduate in business. He was intrigued by meeting a one armed mechanic on the Canadian Kawasaki Race team at the recent AMA races at Barber, and pursuing such a career is a possibility also.

What about his desire to race? It's still there. Brett will attend a track school and get a race license soon. He even spoke of an idea to set up an endurance racing team comprised of fellow one armed racers. Could he do it? Would they be any good? After talking with Brett and seeing him in action, I'd say the odds are in favor of this particular "One Armed Bandit"! (The title of Brett's own MySpace page: MySpace.com - One Armed Bandit - 19 - Male - TRUSSVILLE, ALABAMA - www.myspace.com/hawk0589)

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