Page 23 - ARUBA TODAY

A23
SPORTS Tuesday 5 december 2017

Olympic star Moses remarkably recovers from head injuries

By EDDIE PELLS be there.” He turned down
AP National Writer the option of a slow rehab
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. process and instead turned
(AP) — Edwin Moses turned to Felton Bessozi, an old
the corner, saw the blue friend who now lives in Italy,
police lights in the distance where she coaches track
and, immediately, started and does therapy.
spinning. Moses’ son, Julian, is a
His senses overwhelmed by volleyball player. He
the strength of the strobing worked with Felton Bessozi
lights, Moses fell to the to overcome a knee
ground and crawled to the injury, and with her help,
sidewalk, then used every he returned quickly back
ounce of energy to stand to the court. When Moses
up and stagger back to his himself was given the option
car. of using a walker to relearn
Somehow, he made it how to move, he chose to
home safely that night. check out of the hospital
Within a week, he was and called his friend, who
lying in a hospital bed, has traveled with him and
losing feeling in his legs, put him through two-a-
wondering if he would ever day workouts that involve,
walk again. among other things, pool
The incident on the streets of work, stimulation using
Atlanta came shortly after In this April 18, 2016, file photo, Edwin Moses poses for photos as he arrives for the Laureus World electromagnetic currents,
Moses suffered his second Sports Awards in Berlin, Germany. weights and more weights.
traumatic brain injury in the Associated Press “I started working with
span of two months — one “The first thing I said was, He fought for athletes’ be paralyzed for life. him on Sept. 26, and on
from a tumble down the ‘Nobody’s going to believe rights during his career, “I needed someone to Oct. 26, he was able to
stairs, the second when he this story,’” Moses said. helping develop an out-of- take me upstairs at night, fly over to Switzerland by
banged his head hard on “It was the worst possible competition drug-testing bring me back down, bring himself” for an anti-doping
the doorjamb of his car. scenario and I was able to program, and has doubled in food and all that,” Moses conference, Felton Bessozi
After the second accident, walk again. It really didn’t down on his fight for clean said. “Some days, it might said. “I know how fast the
Moses suffered bleeding look like it would go that sports since retirement. take me 20 minutes to get body can recover. The
beneath his skull, and way when they were lifting He currently serves as up off the couch or out of human body is the most
stayed in the hospital for my legs into the bed and I chairman of the U.S. Anti- the bed.” phenominal machine on
about a week. Moses couldn’t control my upper Doping Agency, a job that After a few weeks, he was the planet.”
rejected “traditional” body.” puts him on the front lines feeling better, and when And Moses’ is one of the
physical therapy for The 62-year-old Moses of a fight that currently is he hit his head on the car best machines ever made.
concussions that would began making the centered on allegations door, he thought nothing Not many are aware that
have involved relearning impossible seem possible that Russia’s government of it, mainly because there he ran the latter part of his
how to walk and instead starting in the 1970s, when ran a program to help its was no bruise or outward career, from 1986 through
chose a more aggressive he set a world record and Olympic athletes evade sign of swelling. Turns out, 1988, with a ruptured disc.
approach offered by his won the gold medal in the positive tests. Moses has that accident started a slow He won an Olympic bronze
friend, physical therapist 400-meter hurdles at the been a featured speaker leak of blood underneath and world gold medal
and former track star Rene Montreal Olympics. He took for years at meetings to the surface, and not until during that span. Because
Felton Bessozi. another Olympic gold in discuss the Russia case and a visit to the hospital shortly MRIs were few and far
Three months after that 1984, and to this day, holds others. But this summer, it after that night on the between at the time, he
scary night on the street, four of the 10 top times in was more mundane pursuits street did Moses realize the wasn’t diagnosed until
Moses is nearing 100 the event, including a mark — carrying a full load of severity of the impact. 1993.
percent — a credit to the of 47.02 that remains the household items down the “They did a CT scan and “It was the equivalent of
talent and tenacity of one second-best of all time. His stairs on July 2 — that sent said, ‘Some of this blood what would happen if you
of the world’s best athletes, streak of 122 straight races him tumbling and triggered is brand new,’” Moses were in an automobile
combined with a therapy without a loss still stands as a spiral that landed him in said. “The doctor said and got rear-ended while
he says put him on the fast one of the most remarkable the hospital, unable to walk something had to happen you were twisted around,”
track to recovery. feats in sports. and wondering if he might for something like this to Moses said.q