Published: Dec. 12, 2018
KML grad suffers paralyzing injury while skiing
Brandon Mantz motivated to prove doctors
wrong
By Nicholas Dettmann
ndettmann@conleynet.com 262-306-5043
WEST BEND — Having been a three-sport athlete
at Kettle Moraine Lutheran, Brandon Mantz won’t shy away from a challenge.
And the one in front of him is the biggest of
his life.
On Saturday, while skiing in Colorado, Mantz
crashed and suffered several injuries, including a broken clavicle and significant
internal bleeding. He also severed his spine, leaving him paralyzed from the
waist down.
Mantz, who graduated from KML in 2011, has
been told by doctors he has a 0 percent chance of walking again.
Mantz has taken that assessment as a
challenge.
“I want to walk again; live as normal of a
lifestyle as possible,” he said Tuesday from his hospital room near Denver.
Mantz was skiing with his girlfriend in
Breckenridge, Colorado, about an hour-anda- half west of Denver. Heading down
one of the
hills, Mantz lost control of his ski. He was
going too fast and couldn’t regain control, hitting a sign post. He was wearing
a helmet, which he said probably helped him avoid a brain injury.
Within minutes, emergency personnel was on the
scene and he was airlifted by Flight for Life to the hospital. The quick action
by first responders likely saved his life.
Mantz said when he got to the hospital — St.
Anthony’s in Lakewood, Colorado, a western suburb of Denver — there was about 3
pints of blood in his chest. He immediately underwent surgery to pump out the
blood.
At this point, Mantz’s family back home in
Wisconsin was notified of what happened.
“When we got the news, it’s the not the kind
of news you want to hear,” said Bill Mantz, his father, who is in Colorado with
Brandon, as well as the rest of the family.
When the family found out, they immediately
worked to find a way to get to Brandon as fast as possible.
The family flew to Denver and joined Brandon
by Sunday morning, just before Brandon went into a second surgery, this one on
his back.
Bill said two rods were placed on either side
of Brandon’s spine, as well as 10 screws and a couple support bars were
inserted. In all, Brandon was in surgery for about five hours.
“They had to make sure he was stable with
internal bleeding before doing back surgery,” Bill said.
Soon after, the devastating news was shared
about Mantz’s likelihood of walking again.
“They told me there’d be 0 percent chance of
walking again; that hit me pretty hard,” Brandon said. “It was shocking at
first.”
In the hours that followed as friends and other
family members learned of the crash and the injury, support came pouring in.
“Everyone has been outstanding,” Brandon said.
“I want to give a shout out to Flight for Life and first responders. They’re a
big reason I’m still here.”
The support has been coming in almost nonstop
from people who knew Brandon in some way. He said his phone has been “blowing
up.” He’s even heard from people who were friends of friends, people he doesn’t
know.
A GoFundMe page has been set up and within 24
hours, more than 70 people combined to donate nearly $10,000. In addition, a
Caring Bridge website has been created to help people write messages to
Brandon. Since that was created Monday, there have been more than 10,400 visits
to his website. On its Facebook page, the West Bend Baseball Association said
it plans to have a fundraiser for the Mantz family.
Bill and Brandon each said the support is
overwhelming, but wholeheartedly appreciated.
“It’s allowed me to be positive and
optimistic,” Brandon said. “One person
after the next has reached out.”
That is why Brandon’s most difficult day could
be a shining moment.
“It’s meant everything,” he said of the
support. “Just having family and friends here, my phone is blowing up, people
reaching out saying they’ve got my back. It’s turned to motivation. I’m
motivated and optimistic through everyone’s well-wishes. I’m not going to stop
fighting.”
He also said, “I’m not going to give up on that.
I’ve got a huge support system around me.”
Already, Brandon has made an improvement. He’s
been gently moved around and has been fitted for a back brace.
Going forward, the plan is to, within a week or
two, hopefully move Brandon into a rehabilitation hospital. Within a couple of
months, the hope is that he can regain some independence.
Brandon has an upbeat look at the future,
regardless if he walks again or not. He said he wants to look into some
Paralympic Games possibilities, continue coaching and someday have a family of
his own, which has was told is still possible.
“God has a plan for my life,” Brandon said.
“It’s just part of the plan.”
This has also taught Brandon’s parents
something they can only dream of when raising him, but it’s hard to find out
the truth.
“We’re all trying to be focus on his future on
what he needs and supporting anyway possible,” Bill said. “The faith is what’s
really helping. We have a huge support structure. We’re really proud Brandon
has touched so many lives in a positive way.
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