Max
05-06-2003, 03:01 PM
Boys lacrosse: Broadneck's Davis overcomes neck injury
By BILL WAGNER Staff Writer
Beau Davis has been playing lacrosse since he was a little boy. Now a junior at Broadneck High, Davis says he's never derived more joy or pleasure from the simple act of running up and down the field with a stick in his hand.
More than a few times this season, usually after scoring a goal or dishing off a nice assist, Davis has thought about the fact he could be watching his beloved Bruins from the sideline - in a wheelchair.
You see, Davis came within a few inches and a few false moves of being paralyzed, or possibly even dead. At the tender age of 15, a boy whose life revolved around his love for sports could have found himself a paraplegic.
It all happened in an instant. Davis was playing midfield for the O'Loughlin's Club team at the Lax Max Tournament in Baltimore when he fought through a pick to thwart an opponent's shot. As best anyone can remember, Davis stumbled slightly just as the offensive player jumped in the air to shoot.
However it happened it created a dangerous situation as the opposing player came down hard on top of Davis' helmet.
"It was like a massive weight had been dropped on my head. My neck just crunched down. I felt like a turtle going into my shell," Davis recalled.
Somehow, Davis managed to get up and run off the field before collapsing in a heap on the sideline. Warren Davis, who was watching the game, rushed over to check on his son.
"Having seen what happened, I figured Beau had gotten a bad stinger," Warren Davis said.
An early indication the injury might be more serious came when Warren tried to help Beau to his feet.
"My dad grabbed me around the shoulders and it was the worst pain I've ever felt," Beau recalled. "I told him to just let me lay there for a little while longer."
From that moment on began a series of events that Warren Davis would later term "miraculous." It just so happened that two fathers with one of the teams scheduled to play the next game on that field were paramedics.
Immediately recognizing the signs of a spinal cord injury, one of the men dropped to his knees and used his legs to immobilize Davis' head and neck. The other paramedic immediately called for an ambulance.
Warren Davis said he had intended to take Beau home in the family vehicle, which he later learned would have been a major mistake.
"Moving Beau at that time could have been catastrophic. I was told that most spinal cord injuries are caused by swelling and trauma, not necessarily the initial blow," Warren said. "It was by the grace of God that a pair of trained paramedics just happened to show up on the scene at the critical juncture."
Beau was strapped to a board and transported to Sinai Hospital. Doctors would keep the youngster on that board for hours while performing various X-rays and CT scans.
"At one point, a nurse asked Beau to describe his level of pain on a scale of 1 to 10. When Beau said nine I really got frightened because he never complains," Warren said.
Father and son remember the room suddenly becoming busy after X-rays showed that Beau had suffered a fractured vertebrae. It was the C6 vertebrae, just high enough on the column to not cause paralysis but perilously close to trouble.
"I remember a doctor telling Beau in no uncertain terms, 'You're neck is broken, don't move or you may never move again,' " Warren recalled.
It was at that moment that Beau became extremely scared as he remembers the neurosurgeon getting three inches from his face and declaring: "Do not sneeze, do not cough, do not twitch."
Davis would be placed in what is known as a Philadelphia collar and kept in virtual traction at Sinai for two days. He was released from the hospital on June 11 and ordered to remain as immobile as possible until the neck brace was removed in late August.
So Davis spent the entire summer moving from his bed to the couch and back again. To say three months of inactivity was maddening for a 15-year-old would be a major understatement. Friends were always going to the beach or the pool, playing sports or participating in a myriad of outdoor activities. Davis spent his summer reading books, watching movies and playing video games.
"There were times when I thought I was going to go crazy. I felt like I was missing out on everything," said Davis, who lives in the Briarwood community of Arnold. "It was such a hot summer and I had to wear that darn brace at all times. I was only allowed to take it off for about five seconds in the shower."
Thank goodness, Davis had plenty of support from family and friends. Norma Davis is an intensive care nurse at Anne Arundel Medical Center who mostly works nights and thus could spend the day taking care of her son. Warren is an assistant state's attorney who could take over while his wife worked the night shift. On most days, Beau also had the company of his sister Jenna and girlfriend Tricia Magnusson.
"My family was great with always doing things for me and I have to thank my girlfriend for giving up so much of her summer to spend time with me," he said.
Warren and Norma were thankful for the outpouring of support from lacrosse folks as Broadneck head coach Clay White, assistant Steve Gorski and numerous players - teammates and opponents alike - stopped by to visit.
"The lacrosse community was incredibly helpful throughout this ordeal. People were always coming over to visit and bring Beau books, videos and PlayStation games," Warren said. "I expected guys from the Broadneck team to come over, but I was kind of surprised when some Severna Park players stopped by. It just goes to show that lacrosse is like one big family."
Doctors gave Beau Davis permission to resume activity and minimal exercise after removing the brace in late August, although returning to the football team as a safety was out of the question.
Walking gave way to jogging and Davis eventually began doing exercises and lifting weights to strengthen the injured neck. Coach White was hesitant to allow Davis to play for Broadneck's team in the Catonsville Indoor League, even though it was designated as non-contact.
"Before each game, I would tell the players on the other team the situation and ask them to please be careful not to hit this one particular kid," White said.
White was still a bit wary after doctors gave Davis a clearance to resume contact sports. During preseason practice, the coach considered putting Davis in a protective jersey, but the player would have none of that.
"What happened to Beau was real scary and very intimidating. But to his credit, Beau never backed off once he resumed playing lacrosse," White said. "I could see early in practice that Beau was playing as physical as anyone on the team."
An early test of whether Davis was fully healed came during a scrimmage against Robinson. A defender swung his stick and whacked Davis on the neck in almost the exact spot of the original injury.
"I had been really nervous about how I was going to react to that first big hit," Beau said. "That hit was a doozy that sent a shiver through my body and scared the heck out of me."
Needless to say, Coach White and Warren Davis were panic-stricken as they saw a youngster who had already suffered a broken vertebrae head to the bench with an ice bag on his neck.
Warren wasn't taking any chances and immediately drove his son to the emergency room for X-rays, which proved negative. Ultimately, Beau's ability to withstand that hit gave everyone - player, parents and coaches - more confidence that he could make it through the season.
White switched Davis from attack to midfield in order to take advantage of his many skills and the lanky 6-foot-2, 180-pounder has become an impact player this season. He leads Broadneck in scoring with 23 goals despite always drawing a long pole defender.
"Beau is a big, strong kid who understands the game and does a great job of getting the ball off the ground," White said. "He's an outstanding dodger and has an absolute cannon of a shot."
Throughout the season, White has noticed that Davis plays with a renewed passion for the game that certainly has been increased by the memory of how close he came to never being able to play lacrosse again.
Davis admits he has those thoughts all the time, especially after practices and games. On April 23, after scoring five goals in a thrilling overtime loss to archrival Severna Park, Davis took time to reflect on the fact he's playing at a high level less than a year after nearly being paralyzed.
"That night of the Severna Park game I sat alone in my truck in the parking lot for like a half hour and thought about how fortunate I am. Sometimes, I feel like the luckiest guy in the world," Davis said. "The injury will always be part of me, will always be on my mind. It taught me that it doesn't matter who, when or why... that anything can happen to anybody at any time."
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Published May 06, 2003, The Capital, Annapolis, Md.
Copyright © 2003 The Capital, Annapolis, Md.
http://www.hometownannapolis.com/cgi-bin/read/2003/05_06-01/HIG
By BILL WAGNER Staff Writer
Beau Davis has been playing lacrosse since he was a little boy. Now a junior at Broadneck High, Davis says he's never derived more joy or pleasure from the simple act of running up and down the field with a stick in his hand.
More than a few times this season, usually after scoring a goal or dishing off a nice assist, Davis has thought about the fact he could be watching his beloved Bruins from the sideline - in a wheelchair.
You see, Davis came within a few inches and a few false moves of being paralyzed, or possibly even dead. At the tender age of 15, a boy whose life revolved around his love for sports could have found himself a paraplegic.
It all happened in an instant. Davis was playing midfield for the O'Loughlin's Club team at the Lax Max Tournament in Baltimore when he fought through a pick to thwart an opponent's shot. As best anyone can remember, Davis stumbled slightly just as the offensive player jumped in the air to shoot.
However it happened it created a dangerous situation as the opposing player came down hard on top of Davis' helmet.
"It was like a massive weight had been dropped on my head. My neck just crunched down. I felt like a turtle going into my shell," Davis recalled.
Somehow, Davis managed to get up and run off the field before collapsing in a heap on the sideline. Warren Davis, who was watching the game, rushed over to check on his son.
"Having seen what happened, I figured Beau had gotten a bad stinger," Warren Davis said.
An early indication the injury might be more serious came when Warren tried to help Beau to his feet.
"My dad grabbed me around the shoulders and it was the worst pain I've ever felt," Beau recalled. "I told him to just let me lay there for a little while longer."
From that moment on began a series of events that Warren Davis would later term "miraculous." It just so happened that two fathers with one of the teams scheduled to play the next game on that field were paramedics.
Immediately recognizing the signs of a spinal cord injury, one of the men dropped to his knees and used his legs to immobilize Davis' head and neck. The other paramedic immediately called for an ambulance.
Warren Davis said he had intended to take Beau home in the family vehicle, which he later learned would have been a major mistake.
"Moving Beau at that time could have been catastrophic. I was told that most spinal cord injuries are caused by swelling and trauma, not necessarily the initial blow," Warren said. "It was by the grace of God that a pair of trained paramedics just happened to show up on the scene at the critical juncture."
Beau was strapped to a board and transported to Sinai Hospital. Doctors would keep the youngster on that board for hours while performing various X-rays and CT scans.
"At one point, a nurse asked Beau to describe his level of pain on a scale of 1 to 10. When Beau said nine I really got frightened because he never complains," Warren said.
Father and son remember the room suddenly becoming busy after X-rays showed that Beau had suffered a fractured vertebrae. It was the C6 vertebrae, just high enough on the column to not cause paralysis but perilously close to trouble.
"I remember a doctor telling Beau in no uncertain terms, 'You're neck is broken, don't move or you may never move again,' " Warren recalled.
It was at that moment that Beau became extremely scared as he remembers the neurosurgeon getting three inches from his face and declaring: "Do not sneeze, do not cough, do not twitch."
Davis would be placed in what is known as a Philadelphia collar and kept in virtual traction at Sinai for two days. He was released from the hospital on June 11 and ordered to remain as immobile as possible until the neck brace was removed in late August.
So Davis spent the entire summer moving from his bed to the couch and back again. To say three months of inactivity was maddening for a 15-year-old would be a major understatement. Friends were always going to the beach or the pool, playing sports or participating in a myriad of outdoor activities. Davis spent his summer reading books, watching movies and playing video games.
"There were times when I thought I was going to go crazy. I felt like I was missing out on everything," said Davis, who lives in the Briarwood community of Arnold. "It was such a hot summer and I had to wear that darn brace at all times. I was only allowed to take it off for about five seconds in the shower."
Thank goodness, Davis had plenty of support from family and friends. Norma Davis is an intensive care nurse at Anne Arundel Medical Center who mostly works nights and thus could spend the day taking care of her son. Warren is an assistant state's attorney who could take over while his wife worked the night shift. On most days, Beau also had the company of his sister Jenna and girlfriend Tricia Magnusson.
"My family was great with always doing things for me and I have to thank my girlfriend for giving up so much of her summer to spend time with me," he said.
Warren and Norma were thankful for the outpouring of support from lacrosse folks as Broadneck head coach Clay White, assistant Steve Gorski and numerous players - teammates and opponents alike - stopped by to visit.
"The lacrosse community was incredibly helpful throughout this ordeal. People were always coming over to visit and bring Beau books, videos and PlayStation games," Warren said. "I expected guys from the Broadneck team to come over, but I was kind of surprised when some Severna Park players stopped by. It just goes to show that lacrosse is like one big family."
Doctors gave Beau Davis permission to resume activity and minimal exercise after removing the brace in late August, although returning to the football team as a safety was out of the question.
Walking gave way to jogging and Davis eventually began doing exercises and lifting weights to strengthen the injured neck. Coach White was hesitant to allow Davis to play for Broadneck's team in the Catonsville Indoor League, even though it was designated as non-contact.
"Before each game, I would tell the players on the other team the situation and ask them to please be careful not to hit this one particular kid," White said.
White was still a bit wary after doctors gave Davis a clearance to resume contact sports. During preseason practice, the coach considered putting Davis in a protective jersey, but the player would have none of that.
"What happened to Beau was real scary and very intimidating. But to his credit, Beau never backed off once he resumed playing lacrosse," White said. "I could see early in practice that Beau was playing as physical as anyone on the team."
An early test of whether Davis was fully healed came during a scrimmage against Robinson. A defender swung his stick and whacked Davis on the neck in almost the exact spot of the original injury.
"I had been really nervous about how I was going to react to that first big hit," Beau said. "That hit was a doozy that sent a shiver through my body and scared the heck out of me."
Needless to say, Coach White and Warren Davis were panic-stricken as they saw a youngster who had already suffered a broken vertebrae head to the bench with an ice bag on his neck.
Warren wasn't taking any chances and immediately drove his son to the emergency room for X-rays, which proved negative. Ultimately, Beau's ability to withstand that hit gave everyone - player, parents and coaches - more confidence that he could make it through the season.
White switched Davis from attack to midfield in order to take advantage of his many skills and the lanky 6-foot-2, 180-pounder has become an impact player this season. He leads Broadneck in scoring with 23 goals despite always drawing a long pole defender.
"Beau is a big, strong kid who understands the game and does a great job of getting the ball off the ground," White said. "He's an outstanding dodger and has an absolute cannon of a shot."
Throughout the season, White has noticed that Davis plays with a renewed passion for the game that certainly has been increased by the memory of how close he came to never being able to play lacrosse again.
Davis admits he has those thoughts all the time, especially after practices and games. On April 23, after scoring five goals in a thrilling overtime loss to archrival Severna Park, Davis took time to reflect on the fact he's playing at a high level less than a year after nearly being paralyzed.
"That night of the Severna Park game I sat alone in my truck in the parking lot for like a half hour and thought about how fortunate I am. Sometimes, I feel like the luckiest guy in the world," Davis said. "The injury will always be part of me, will always be on my mind. It taught me that it doesn't matter who, when or why... that anything can happen to anybody at any time."
Next High schools story
High schools Page
Sports Page
Top Stories Page
Published May 06, 2003, The Capital, Annapolis, Md.
Copyright © 2003 The Capital, Annapolis, Md.
http://www.hometownannapolis.com/cgi-bin/read/2003/05_06-01/HIG