Tom Everett stays on top
Tom Everett, 18, a senior at Ferris High School, sits comfortably at a table at Starbucks for a relaxed conversation about his accomplishments in school. He talks with humor and charm and seems so animated and comfortable in his own skin that it’s quite easy not to notice the wheelchair he sits in.
He quickly downplays his 3.94 high school grade-point average and the fact that he has taken advanced placement courses throughout school, and when talking about being part of Ferris High School’s cross country team, he’ll point out that he was by no means the star of the team.
He even talks matter-of-factly about the April 6, 2007, skiing accident at Schweitzer Mountain that broke seven vertebrae in his back and bruised his spinal cord, causing paralysis in the lower half of his body, and about the months of treatment in Seattle and at a Denver hospital specializing in spinal cord injuries.
“Chances of walking again are slim to none, barring advances in medical research,” Everett said. “It’s all about stem cell research now.”
He doesn’t dismiss the impact of the accident and, obviously, lives every day with its effect: “I suppose I could have rolled over and died, but I think I would have done that by now if that was the way I was going to handle it.”
He admits that when the track season started last fall and he wasn’t a part of it – well, that did hurt. He used to run 100 miles a week and would have been the top returning runner on the team.
“And frankly, this whole not-walking thing isn’t fun, like when I’m at the bottom of the stairs and need to get to the top,” he said. But then, brightening, he throws in, “however, I do get a lot of piggyback rides.”
Not one to brood, Everett has turned his athletic drive into bike riding using a hand cycle and even returned to the slopes, learning to operate a mono-ski through an adaptive ski program on Mount Spokane. He continues his studies in preparation for attending Whitman College in the fall. And he still plays trombone with the Ferris jazz orchestra, pep band and wind ensemble.
“He’s quite remarkable,” said Ben Brueggemeier, instrumental music director at Ferris. “When he first came back after his accident, his back was so weak that he could barely lift his trombone without it pulling him over. While he was working to strengthen his back, his buddies would hold him up so he could play. He never gave up.”
Life is going on. Everett went to the prom with his girlfriend, and he’s looking for a second part-time job, just regular teenage things. “I’d love to work in a ski shop because I know everything about skis,” he said, “but I’m not sure who would want to buy skis from me.”
He laughs when he says that.
“No, really,” he added. “I’ve had to learn patience, and I’m not so good at that, but I’m better. I try to keep in mind not to worry about things I can’t change but to focus on the things I can have an effect on.”
Brueggemeier states that while Everett may downplay his own triumph over adversity, he finds his student amazing: “He’s not shut down in any way. His attitude is fantastic; he’s witty and fun. His spirit is completely intact. We always knew he was a great kid before. He still is.”