Ian Trettel Injury Update - Personal Letter
Wednesday, May 18, 2011 | 1:55 PM
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PrintDear sponsors, friends, and all of my fans;
Since my injury, I've been looking forward to the day that I could personally reach out and thank everyone for all of the love and support that you have shown me and my family through these tough times. I'm so blessed and moved by the constant caring that has been sent my way from each and everyone of you. So first and foremost - THANKS!
On March 5th, I suffered a Traumatic Brain Injury during my practice session at the Daytona Supercross. The injury required me to be in a medical coma for almost 4 weeks and I am now in my 7th week of rehab at The Shepard Center in Atlanta. The injury has left me with several physical and cognitive deficits that with dedication and focus can be managed allowing me to live a full and prosperous life. I will continue my rehab through The Shepard Center / Pathways for a another 4-5 weeks before I can return home. I'm excited for that time to come and to also see many of you again but for now I need to continue to focus on my rehab so that I can maximize my recovery.
Even though that through hard work and dedication my long term prognosis is excellent, I along with my family and my Doctors have been forced to make the decision to discontinue my motocross career. Even if I were to make a full physical, and cognitive recovery, my brain injuries are severe enough that the risks associated with another head injury would by life threatening. That's just not a risk that I'm willing to take seeing that I have my entire life in front of me and I'm not willing to put my family, friends, and myself through anything like this again. Moto-cross has been the only life I have ever known but I am now ready to move on and live for the other things that I enjoy. I will use my accomplishments to pave a new path for me hopefully in some way helping fellow TBI patients. Life looks different to me now and I plan to make the best of what I have.
I really want to say a special thanks and appreciation to all of my many sponsors that have stood by my side helping me to make my motocross career what it was. I'm hoping that in some way I can continue to stay involved with all of you as I move my focus to other interests. I'm confident that whatever I decide to do, that with your help, I'll be able to continue to achieve great things.
Thanks again to everyone for your support and prayers. It truly helped me and my family get through this and I look forward to seeing and talking to you very soon.
Sincerely yours,
- Ian
ICU Rehab Therapy Team
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I wish you luck with your future. It sounds as if you have good people behind you.
WOW, what a letter, just say I'm so proud of Ian he's a real fighter, God bless U dude.
Ian, you're a true inspiration to all. You'll accomplish great things in life with such heart and dedication
Best wishes to you, Ian. You'll remain in my thoughts and prayers. Very glad to hear you're improving.
I hope for life to reward you with many good things Ian. A lot of people have been praying for you and will continue to wish for nothing but the best in the future. Good luck.
Brilliant news that your recovery is going well,all the best in the future.
Awesome Ian. It's great to see that you are on your way to a full recovery. You don't have to discontinue your motocross career. You just have to stop racing and riding. Some of the greatest people in motocross don't race. Do the names Mitch and David and Jimmy ring a bell?? The sport is better with you in it. I hope that we all continue to see you around. Take care and good luck. And....thank GOD that you are walking away from this.
Thank you Ian, your awesome and prayers do come true my friend....:)
Happy to hear that the prognosis is for a full recovery. Sorry to hear that you will not race again but top 5 in your first ever race is a huge accompishment that not many will achieve. All the best in your recovery and life in the future.
Ian-
Good luck with the rehab. A good friend of mine went through rehab at Shepard also. He has made great recovery. He is not fully rehabilitated yet but the team there is awesome. Ask them about Brent Adams. I'm sure they will tell you his story.
Again good luck and keep the faith. I know it is hard to take all that has happened in but there is a reason for this.
Brett Jones
It is awesome to hear that you will make a full recovery. The good Lord really is amazing. Good luck with what ever life you choose Ian. You really are an inspirations. Nothing but best wishes to you and your family.
Thanks for reaching out to everyone! Keep working hard man and you'll still go anywhere you want to go.
Glad to hear your able to work thru these tuff times, not only physically but mentally. Life like motocross is mostly a mental fight, believing in yourself is very important on and more so off the bike. Sounds like your headed in the right direction and with good people around you to keep you focused. Good luck man, i am rooting for you.
Hang in there bro. I was in the same situation over my 18th birthday, 9 years ago. Three week indused coma with a full recovery. I hung up the boots and was lucky enough to go to college and get a degree leading me to a wonderfull career in construction management. It will be tough, especially the next two years. You just have to be thankful for your life and make the best of every day. Ihope your life is full and prosperous in its new direction.
Ian, That was a very honest and emotional letter that came off with the utmost sincerity and poise. You will do very well given your dedication in your pursuits. Put even half of that effort into a career and the best is yet to come.
Good luck on whatever you decide to do with your life after this! Your a real fight. I have followed you since the day I heard about because my friend died from a head injury in October. Great job Ian!
Stay strong Ian. We are all fans of yours and our thoughts and prayers are with you. You have a great attitude and thats half the battle ..we are all pulling for you!
Good luck Ian. If there is anything I can ever do to help in your recovery (via the Virtual Trainer site) please do not hesitate to ask.
Ian,
Happy to read your letter. I'm not a religous person although I did pray for you, brotha. Good luck to you and your future!!!
Ian -- I wish you the best of luck and as a racer and fan I think you are making the right decision. You seem like you have a very solid head on your shoulders and I'm sure that the determination and focus you have learned in motocross will carry over to anything you pursue!
Ian I wish you the best in your future endeavors. I am glad you are making great progress in yor recovery. You are an asset to the motocross community so I hope that you decide to stay involved in it and make it a part of your life. Good Luck and get well soon.
Wishing you only the best Ian. You are in my thoughts and I know that the drive and talents that made you in motocross will serve you well in life.
We wish you the best. Someday I (Johnny) can shake your hand and be thanking you for the contributions that you will make on the motocross industry as a professional, off-the-track. I am currently 10 - so you have about 6 years to make it happen. Work hard, as I will be, and I'll see you then - Good luck friend.
http://www.facebook.com/JohnHorn#!/
Go back a few years; we were at a Regional Qualifier at Pleasure Valley preparing to gate ( my son was on an 85 then) and I was just mesmerized watching you on a 125 perform your magic on the rhythm section, and thinking "I just hope my son can be like Ian Trettel someday!". Well, after everything you've been through, and learning more about Ian Trettel "the person", I hope even more that my son can be like Ian Trettel someday. Such an inspiration to young and old alike; I wish you nothing but the best......I know you will excel at whatever field you choose. I also would like to see you stay in the motorcycle industry. We need more people like you in our sport!
Great work kid. Got my bracelet and t-shirt, I know it wasnt much. But glad I could help somehow. Your a real fighter bud, stay tough.
So happy that you pulled through and sorry that you had to make the difficult decision of changing your life goals. You'll be great no matter what you do! Best of luck to you and your family. We will continue to pray for you all.
Ian,
I believe that you truly are a survivor, and you will excel in your life. I also believe that if you want to be in the Motorcycle industry, you will find a way to do it. I was a little luckier when I had my head injury. I was actually done riding for the day at an indoor track in Washington state. I walked back in to say goodbye to some friends and never seen the bike coming through the air @me. Four and a half hours later woke up in the CCU with my friends around me. I had a skull fracture, broken orbital socket and swelling on the brain. They say the bike actually flew approx 15 ft through the air prior to the frame hitting me in the head. My point in all of this is that for some reason I wasn't suppose to die. The same holds true for you as well, even though your recovery will take longer than mine. I believe everyone has a purpose here on this earth, and if you go on to design trick parts,manage a team, or even broadcast. The simple fact in this is that you have poured tons of dedication into being a Professional racer and that shows commitment. The two most important things for you now are a speedy recovery and the friends and family that have been there with you or for you. I am 39 and don't ride anymore, but I still love MX/SX and will continue to support the sport that I love. I will be very happy for you when I hear of you being able to attend a race, and seeing your old friends.
Your courage and positive spirit are an inspiration to me. ROCK ON!
Can someone delete that ^^^ please?
Ian I think you made a tough but good decision. If you dedicate yourself to whatever you pursue like you did in motocross, you are bound to be successful, best of luck.
Can someone delete that ^^^ please?
Ian I think you made a tough but good decision. If you dedicate yourself to whatever you pursue like you did in motocross, you are bound to be successful, best of luck.
amazing Ian: Thank you so much for fighting and providing inspiration to us all. i hope i can meet you someday and shake your hand. i wish you well in your recovery and search for a new passion. carpe diem
GOOD NEWS! My Diana wife and I wish you and your family the best. Good people for sure, I have been knowing you all for so many years and seeing you laying in that hospital bed like that was hard. Not knowing what to say to your mom, dad and girl friend was the hardest. I know that sometimes things are not as bad is they seem but we never know. I am so happy right now that GOD was looking after you and I know that you will have more good things in your life. We never understand so many things in life but sometimes they come out to be darn good. Don't know why that happen to David but he has made the best of it and help so many that he would never had a chance to touch. God Bless you and your family.
Your struggle, fight, hope, eagerness, and search to succeed will make you get through it and come out well.
I really do wish all the best,
Jaume
Ian I have seen you from the very start of your career and growing into the rider that you are today.... You and your family have been and are still in our prayers. I know that this was very tough decision for you and your family to make. There are bigger things out there for you to do. You have great skills and you can teach that to so many others without even getting on a bike. Your name will make the way for you. It is very hard to give up something that you have been doing your entire life, but God has greater plans for you. You keep getting better and show the world that Ian is going to come through this just fine. Wish you much success in your recovery, sounds like you are doing just great!!! From one of your old NC MX families!!!
Ian. No matter which route in life you take nobody will forget how talented on a motorcycle you are. You have such a great group of people surrounding you. You made your mark on motocross thru hard work and dedication, the same dedication you will always have, and heart. god bless
Ian,
I just wanted to wish you the best of luck in all your future endeavors. Your hard work and perserverance throughout this process shows us how precious life is and to never give up! Good luck with everything you do and stay in touch with the sport!! Best wishes and god bless!
Definitely sucks but don't give up. Look into Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago. Leading TBI center in the US and deal with a lot of the worst TBI cases around. My sister is doing experimental pharmaceuticals to try and reverse some of the imbalances than can occur in the brain post TBI (very limited and more focused toward drug related chemical imbalances) however shows some amount of efficacy in control testing for TBI. Worth a shot. A shot though. I know how you feel because I have a slight cognitive disorder from 3 concussions, so stick with it.
Ian - I know this had to be the toughest decision you've ever had to make but rest assured you are making the right decision. You have lived a life that so many racers and weekend warriors dream about... you've been there, seen it, lived it and accomplished so much. There is so much more to life and i know whatever you decide to do you will give it nothing but 100% because that's how all of you Trettels roll! I think the world of you and your family and I just want you to be able to enjoy your life with Joe, Elaine, Gavin, Savannah and all of your other friends and family... this is what matters in life. You are a champion and always will be and we are all blessed that you are still here with us. Make the most of life and stay strong buddy and I will continue to pray for you. You are an inspiration! ---Your #1 Indiana Fan : )
i have a tbi too and this makes me feel very sad to know of someone else has to deal with it too. lots of rehab and patience need to b in place for a awhilegodspeed and many prayers to u. we rode together in fl like 10 years ago very nice kid i must say
dear Ian,been tryin to check on your status since your injury,everywhere I looked was just old news.I'm an ex racer from a long time ago that can't ride anymore due to complications from the many injurys I recieved in my short career, I've counted on young talents like yourself for some time for my MX fix,where I sit next to the fence or fixated to the T.V.and it really affects me when someone gets hurt.lately things have really gone downhill for me and I am searching unchartered territory for hope.I've never been a religious man before,but lately have been reaching out for any help I can get.after watching hours of vidio clips/dedications/get well wishes,etc. on you,I prayed to god that if it was your time to go,please let me trade places with you. well,so far I'm still here,so he must have a bigger plan for you. Good luck young man,in whatever you do in life,just don't ever forget,you will always have friends that you'll never even meet.
Great work Kid !!
From Spain all my collegues and I wish you and your family All the Best.
You are really fighter bud, Stay Tough.
God Bless you and your Family !!
JC
I wanted to take a moment to reach out on behalf of Ian and our entire family to thank you all for the wonderful comments and your show of support for Ian. It means so much to all of us!
It's been our priority to keep all of our energies focused on Ian's recovery which has in turn kept us somewhat private but we are very aware of the love and caring that has been and is being sent to Ian and our family from all of you. Thank you all for understanding that and for continuing to show Ian your love and support.
Even though Ian's riding career has ended with this injury, what he has gained from his career has not. Everything that Ian has learned and accomplished over the years of dedication to his sport has allowed him to get through these very tough times. As many of you have already said, Ian will take what he has and what he is and continue to achieve new and great things.
Motocross is made up of some of the best people in the world and we're thankful to have you all behind us!
Thanks again,
Joe Trettel
im glad your doing okay now and i hope the best for you and you really inspire me to live life to the fullest
JACOB