Wheels a reminder of diving's dangers

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Wheels a reminder of diving's dangers



Ole Miss student's road to recovery includes warnings for others
Special to The Clarion-Ledger

Cameron Stubbs' new life started in "the pink chair."


Special to The Clarion-Ledger

Annie Hardy, a rehab technician at Methodist Rehabilitation Center in Jackson, monitors Cameron Stubbs, 22, as he works to regain strength.


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Safety tips

Check the water for a minimum depth of 10 feet before diving or jumping.

Never swim or dive alone.

Know your limits. If you are not a skilled swimmer, don't try to keep up with friends.

Learn CPR. This particularly applies to pool and boat owners.

Never drink alcohol while boating or swimming.

Children and adults should take swimming lessons.

Never leave a child unattended in or around water.

Never eat or chew gum while swimming or diving.


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For more information about spinal cord injuries or swimming and diving safety, go to www.methodistonline.org.
Being promoted to the chair, which allowed him to sit up, was a major goal after breaking his neck in a hotel pool diving accident during spring break in Nassau, Bahamas.

Since then, the Ole Miss senior has reached and surpassed many goals, with many more on the horizon. And while he is focused on his own recovery and improvement, he wants to remind all swimming this summer to take precautions when diving.

"It can happen to anyone, and it changes your life," said Stubbs, a patient at Methodist Rehabilitation Center in Jackson.

Diving accidents account for about 60 percent of recreational spinal cord injuries. "Each year, about 1,000 diving-related injuries occur," said Dr. Rahul Vohra, medical director at the Jackson hospital.

The damage typically occurs high on the spinal cord, usually the neck. "Generally, it does result in a more severe level of injury," said Ellen Lee, director of the spinal cord injury program. "Most of the time, this results in quadriplegia and the higher the injury, of course, the more complicated it becomes."

Stubbs, a 22-year-old Pickens native, had just arrived in the Bahamas when the accident occurred on March 10.

He was flown to Miami and spent 25 days in a hospital there, including time in intensive care for a collapsed lung and pneumonia, before returning to Mississippi.

At Methodist Rehab, he spent two hours each day in therapy, working on his mobility and building his strength. "I'm learning something new every day. I've come a long way. I want to go as far as I can and become as independent as I can," Stubbs said.

Since leaving the hospital in mid-May, Stubbs has been continuing therapy at the hospital's outpatient clinic in Flowood. He continues to make progress and has a positive outlook, his therapists say. Stubbs said he plans to return soon to his Ole Miss marketing major.

"Everyone has been so supportive," said his mother, Connie Morrow. "The cards, the calls, the prayers. It has all been wonderful."


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