By Vicki Prichard
NKyTribune Reporter
Craig and Stefanie Feltner were at the St. Agnes soccer field for their nine-year-old daughter’s soccer game on August 20th when life turned on a dime.
Feltner’s phone was in the car, and when he returned to it he saw that he had missed messages.
“I saw that there was a text message from the Park Hills police saying I needed to call them immediately,” says Feltner.
Early that morning, their son Elliot, a 22-year-old University of Cincinnati film graduate, drove north on I-75 to meet friends and spend the day engaging in a sport that the talented athlete was passionate about, aggressive inline skating. But another driver, impaired by drugs, put an end to those plans when he rear-ended Elliot’s Honda CRV driving at a speed of 112 miles per hour.
When Feltner called, the police told him that his son had been airlifted to Miami Valley Hospital in Dayton.
What the police originally called to tell the Feltners was that their son had died in the accident, because, says Feltner, he had – twice.
“He lost his pulse twice,” says Feltner. “When they [Park Hills police] came to notify us and we weren’t home they started going to our neighbors houses, and by the time they did reach us it had changed.”
Responders on the scene performed CPR and resuscitated Elliot.
Elliot, a talented athlete, and recent graduate poised for his next chapter in life, suffered brain trauma and spinal cord injury, with injury to his C-6 and C-7 vertebrae.
Feltner says his son has arm and wrist movement but feels nothing below the waist.
“I really think that a thousand people go through that and 999 of them die,” says Feltner.
Feltner believes his son’s athleticism is key to his survival.
“I believe that’s why he survived. He’s very fit. I think between his fitness and his mind – he’s always been very dedicated and focused – I think that’s what saved him,” says Feltner.
Elliot’s skating friends gave high praise to his skill.
“It’s a niche sport but it has a very wide network and they’re a very tight group. They all love Elliot and they’re the greatest guys,” says Feltner. “They would tell me, “Do you realize how good Eliot really is at this?” They said he’s probably one of the better incline skaters in the country, and these guys started when they were nine or ten years old.”
Since September, Elliot’s care has been in the hands of the skilled spinal cord injury rehabilitation team at Craig Hospital in Denver, CO.
“Between the networking and research, we just felt like this was the right place to go. It’s world renowned for the work they do,” says Feltner.
Elliot’s mother stays with her son and Feltner says he flies out on Frontier Airlines every other week. He recently took his nine-year-old daughter, who hadn’t seen her brother since the accident, with him.
“Going forward we’re going to have to find that physical activity for him. I’d like to think that there’s some kind of adaptive inline skating for him,” says Feltner.
The diagnosis Craig Hospital’s diagnosis is that Elliot is currently not responding to anything below the waist, but Feltner is hopeful that could change, saying it can take 12 to 18 months to see if the swelling in the spinal cord goes away.
Though his spine is severely injured, his mind is clear, and Feltner holds out hope for future advances in treating the spinal injuries.
“This is 2016 and medical advancement on spinal cord injuries is still very limited,” says Feltner. “But, Elliot’s only 22, so maybe there’s something along the way.”
On Friday, November 4, No Limits – The Elliot Feltner Benefit for Spinal Cord Rehabilitation — will be held from 7 p.m. to midnight at the Highlands Event Center in Fort Thomas.
Family and friends of Elliot are hosting the benefit to help defer the medical costs incurred by the Feltner family, and they’ve put together an impressive online auction that includes a private picnic for up to six guests with country music artists Amy Grant and Vince Gill at their farm in Franklin, TN; a signed guitar by the couple; and tour tickets to Brad Paisley’s 2017 tour, which includes a meet and greet with the singer.
Sending healing wishes for a total recovery. So sad that a young man with a wonderful future had to be hurt in such a way. Prayers for his complete recovery.