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06-03-2003, 04:47 PM
Brothers share a difficult experience -- learning to live in wheelchairs
Jodie Tweed, Brainerd Daily Dispatch
Published June 2, 2003 PARA02
PINE RIVER, MINN. -- In 1993, Richard Treague was paralyzed from the waist down in a car accident near Backus, Minn. Now, 10 years later, Treague's brother, Ronald Treague, is paralyzed, too.
Ronald became a quadriplegic in a March 28 motor vehicle accident on Hwy. 2 near Pine River.
The brothers, who share many of the same hobbies and interests and who have worked together, now share an ordeal -- life in a wheelchair.
"You have to learn how to do everything all over again," Richard said.
Richard, 41, who like his brother lives in Pine River, wasn't wearing a seat belt and was driving too fast on a dirt road in July 1993 when he rolled his car and was thrown from the back window.
Ronald, now 39, was a passenger in the car and escaped with only scratches.
It took months for Richard to go through intensive therapy, learning how to relive his life. He was married at the time, with two children. Now divorced, he is raising his 15-year-old son.
He lives in a handicapped-accessible home in Pine River, built by Habitat for Humanity. He said he frequently reminds his son and his 19-year-old daughter to wear seat belts.
On March 28, Ronald was a passenger in a truck driven by his father, Art. They were on their way to an auction when they were involved in a one-vehicle accident along a construction area on Hwy. 2 about 9 miles west of Pine River.
Neither father nor son had his seat belt on. Ronald's neck was broken and his back was broken in four places.
Ronald said that after his accident, he hoped he would just die. He knew what his brother had gone through 10 years earlier, and that his own accident was even more severe.
Richard had a difficult time dealing with his brother's paralysis. At first he couldn't bring himself to visit Ronald at North Memorial Medical Center in Robbinsdale because it brought back memories of his own accident.
Now Richard visits Ronald every day.
Ronald returned home from the hospital May 2. His wife, Laura, quit her job at Breezy Point Resort to care for her husband. The couple have three children, ages 13 to 21.
Richard hopes to make life easier for his brother, partly by raising money to help make his home handicapped-accessible.
A family friend plans to hold a benefit for the family.
"Every little thing he can do more each day will bring back a piece of himself," Richard said. "He can't take a shower at home. He's sleeping in the living room. He needs those little changes to give him back his dignity."
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Jodie Tweed, Brainerd Daily Dispatch
Published June 2, 2003 PARA02
PINE RIVER, MINN. -- In 1993, Richard Treague was paralyzed from the waist down in a car accident near Backus, Minn. Now, 10 years later, Treague's brother, Ronald Treague, is paralyzed, too.
Ronald became a quadriplegic in a March 28 motor vehicle accident on Hwy. 2 near Pine River.
The brothers, who share many of the same hobbies and interests and who have worked together, now share an ordeal -- life in a wheelchair.
"You have to learn how to do everything all over again," Richard said.
Richard, 41, who like his brother lives in Pine River, wasn't wearing a seat belt and was driving too fast on a dirt road in July 1993 when he rolled his car and was thrown from the back window.
Ronald, now 39, was a passenger in the car and escaped with only scratches.
It took months for Richard to go through intensive therapy, learning how to relive his life. He was married at the time, with two children. Now divorced, he is raising his 15-year-old son.
He lives in a handicapped-accessible home in Pine River, built by Habitat for Humanity. He said he frequently reminds his son and his 19-year-old daughter to wear seat belts.
On March 28, Ronald was a passenger in a truck driven by his father, Art. They were on their way to an auction when they were involved in a one-vehicle accident along a construction area on Hwy. 2 about 9 miles west of Pine River.
Neither father nor son had his seat belt on. Ronald's neck was broken and his back was broken in four places.
Ronald said that after his accident, he hoped he would just die. He knew what his brother had gone through 10 years earlier, and that his own accident was even more severe.
Richard had a difficult time dealing with his brother's paralysis. At first he couldn't bring himself to visit Ronald at North Memorial Medical Center in Robbinsdale because it brought back memories of his own accident.
Now Richard visits Ronald every day.
Ronald returned home from the hospital May 2. His wife, Laura, quit her job at Breezy Point Resort to care for her husband. The couple have three children, ages 13 to 21.
Richard hopes to make life easier for his brother, partly by raising money to help make his home handicapped-accessible.
A family friend plans to hold a benefit for the family.
"Every little thing he can do more each day will bring back a piece of himself," Richard said. "He can't take a shower at home. He's sleeping in the living room. He needs those little changes to give him back his dignity."
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© Copyright 2003 Star Tribune. All rights reserved. Utilities
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http://www.startribune.com/stories/462/3913373.html