taz-diver
Registered
His brother was his buddy.
Teen paralyzed diving in the Keys - anyone have more info?
- Thread starter deepstops
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taz-diver
Registered
Here is a little more about the accident and his recovery.
CDNN :: Spiegel Grove Scuba Diving Accident Victim Praying for a Miracle
CDNN :: Spiegel Grove Scuba Diving Accident Victim Praying for a Miracle
OP
Just so you know Taz, CDNN does not employee reporters, they simply copy and paste articles from other sources. They are kind of like the National Enquirer in the world of dive reporting
Becca_007
Contributor
For those who are interested there is now a second thread: http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/accidents-incidents/320007-spiegel-incident.html.
I believe the day of that accident, I was diving on the Bibb.. not far from the Grove. Not the best seas, but the current was really light and the vis fairly good.
I find this event very sad and hope he recovers, but I am at a complete loss to understand how an experienced diver, with a buddy, would put themselves in this position.
As with most "accidents", it usually takes several things to be done wrong to have a really bad outcome...and there appear to be a pile of them here.
I find this event very sad and hope he recovers, but I am at a complete loss to understand how an experienced diver, with a buddy, would put themselves in this position.
As with most "accidents", it usually takes several things to be done wrong to have a really bad outcome...and there appear to be a pile of them here.
skdevlieger
Registered
He was diving with his twin brother,and their Dad. The Dad surfaced earlier, as his tank was smaller. Matthew and Andrew began the ascent at the same time. Andrew, however, has always had problems equalizing, so he naturally went slower in his ascent. Go to carepages.com/matthewdevlieger for daily updates.
OP
Thank you for posting the link. I left a message for him.
I think this link will work better for most folks: https://www.carepages.com/carepages/MatthewDeVlieger
Our prayers are with him,
Brian
mikelanenga
Registered
I just talked to a friend of mine that played tennis with him at Calvin. He didn't have any info on what happened because non-divers just dont talk about that kind of stuff as they have no clue. He did see him at an alumni (my friend graduated last year) game recently. He heard he was trying to play tennis in his wheelchair. He has limited mobility in both arms, one is better than the other. Other than that he is paralyzed from the chest down. Very sad when an athlete like that is faced with not being able to move.
skdevlieger
Registered
February 18th, 2010 10:28 PM
mikelanenga ----I just talked to a friend of mine that played tennis with him at Calvin. He didn't have any info on what happened because non-divers just dont talk about that kind of stuff as they have no clue. He did see him at an alumni (my friend graduated last year) game recently. He heard he was trying to play tennis in his wheelchair. He has limited mobility in both arms, one is better than the other. Other than that he is paralyzed from the chest down.
_______________________________________________________________________
I got the email of this,(ABOVE).... and just have to say...Matthew is STILL an IN PATIENT at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami Florida. (This is the 57th day here.) He is not in Michigan at Calvin College, but he may be mis-identified with his TWIN BROTHER ANDREW, who is currently at Calvin playing tennis.
He did have a tennis lesson from the Rehab Center's recreational therapy, here in Miami. You can see this video, as I posted it on Youtube. Just type in Matthew De Vlieger, and you will find it. Or here is the link--
YouTube - 02-06-10 Matthew DeVlieger first tennis lesson after scuba accident
The rest of your post was true- limited mobility, right better than left, and he is still "completely" paralyzed from 3 inches below the collar bone, and all the way down. He is medically still diagnosed as a "quadriplegic" , due to the fact that he has the sensory level of a C8 injury. But the miracle is that he has the MOTOR function of a paraplegic, at a level of T1. Considering that he began on 12-28-2010 with a C4 injury, we are beside ourselves with JOY, and PRAISE! ! !
What that means...is that he will be able to use BOTH arms. WE ARE THRILLED BEYOND WORDS that he is alive, with usage of both arms, and yet, we are faithfully praying for an astounding miracle, with our mustard-seed sized faith. We are not doubting, but standing strong in our hope and solid belief that God can in His sovereignty heal Matthew to wholeness. God is very good. We certainly feel His mercy, and his enormous love. The Joy of the Lord is Matthew's strength, and throughout all of this, he has exemplified the perfect peace that passes all understanding. It is beyond amazement to me, and the delight of my heart, to watch his total trust and faith of God's hand.
Sorry I haven't posted in so long. I have been very tied up with Matthew's care in the hospital. Perhaps I can post more in a couple weeks, and answer any questions that you may have about the dive. Thanks for asking about him. Your kind thoughts and wamth of your prayers are appreciated.
HUGS TO ALL !!!!!
.
mikelanenga ----I just talked to a friend of mine that played tennis with him at Calvin. He didn't have any info on what happened because non-divers just dont talk about that kind of stuff as they have no clue. He did see him at an alumni (my friend graduated last year) game recently. He heard he was trying to play tennis in his wheelchair. He has limited mobility in both arms, one is better than the other. Other than that he is paralyzed from the chest down.
_______________________________________________________________________
I got the email of this,(ABOVE).... and just have to say...Matthew is STILL an IN PATIENT at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami Florida. (This is the 57th day here.) He is not in Michigan at Calvin College, but he may be mis-identified with his TWIN BROTHER ANDREW, who is currently at Calvin playing tennis.
He did have a tennis lesson from the Rehab Center's recreational therapy, here in Miami. You can see this video, as I posted it on Youtube. Just type in Matthew De Vlieger, and you will find it. Or here is the link--
YouTube - 02-06-10 Matthew DeVlieger first tennis lesson after scuba accident
The rest of your post was true- limited mobility, right better than left, and he is still "completely" paralyzed from 3 inches below the collar bone, and all the way down. He is medically still diagnosed as a "quadriplegic" , due to the fact that he has the sensory level of a C8 injury. But the miracle is that he has the MOTOR function of a paraplegic, at a level of T1. Considering that he began on 12-28-2010 with a C4 injury, we are beside ourselves with JOY, and PRAISE! ! !
What that means...is that he will be able to use BOTH arms. WE ARE THRILLED BEYOND WORDS that he is alive, with usage of both arms, and yet, we are faithfully praying for an astounding miracle, with our mustard-seed sized faith. We are not doubting, but standing strong in our hope and solid belief that God can in His sovereignty heal Matthew to wholeness. God is very good. We certainly feel His mercy, and his enormous love. The Joy of the Lord is Matthew's strength, and throughout all of this, he has exemplified the perfect peace that passes all understanding. It is beyond amazement to me, and the delight of my heart, to watch his total trust and faith of God's hand.
Sorry I haven't posted in so long. I have been very tied up with Matthew's care in the hospital. Perhaps I can post more in a couple weeks, and answer any questions that you may have about the dive. Thanks for asking about him. Your kind thoughts and wamth of your prayers are appreciated.
HUGS TO ALL !!!!!
.
I
idocsteve
Guest
I have been following Matthew's progress on his carepages as well as the huge outpouring of support and unequivocal faith in support of the merciful and loving Lord from so many of Matt's supporters, despite a prognosis that appears to rather grim.
It's beyond amazement to me too.
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