Life Rebuilt: From Disaster to Dedication
"You may not realize it when it happens, but a kick in the teeth may be the best thing in the world for you." ~Walt Disney
Adversity is defined as "a state or instance of continued difficulty". Given this truth, there's no doubt in my mind that Byron Hicks has overcome more than his fair share of adversity on his road to the bodybuilding dias. Many will say he's "rebuilt" his life since the horrible accident he endured in May of 2002 on a 15 minute trip. Many of his friends, family and clients call him an inspiration and describe him as a fantastic friend and a great guy with supreme core values and a strong heart and soul. Byron Hicks rebuilt his life from not knowing if he would ever walk again to a national-level bodybuilder. Throughout the bad times, he never gave up his hopes and dreams. . . he persevered through all the obstacle always keeping a positive outlook. I'm very blessed to not only be inspired by Byron Hicks and to have him in my life; but to also call him my friend.
The Accident:
While driving a rented Ford Escort (his Ford F-150 was in the shop getting brake work done), a white sedan made an unexpected U-turn in front of him across four lanes of traffic, starting from the far right shoulder and the two cars collided. At impact, Byron's right femur was like a window pane falling to the pavement, but because of his muscular frame the damage remained contained within his leg. "I remember smashing my foot down on the brake as hard as I could. I had just enough time to brace for impact. Next thing I know my head is buzzing like mad, the car is smoking, hissing, and slowly rolling to the shoulder." Byron tried to exit the car because the car was smoking and realize not only would his right leg not move but wouldn't even respond. In extreme panic, he used his right hand to scoop his upper leg up to get it outside the door but found himself unable to get away because he couldn't put any weight on it. A group of witnesses helped him and tended to him until the paramedics arrived. "A man leaned over me and said, "Young man, I saw everything and I will tell the police my name and contact information. I will be a witness to your accident." This man saw everything from the on-coming lane. The retired County Judge would prove to be an extremely credible witness at trial. The other driver was an older man, in his 70's. He apparently had some minor fractures, and certainly some form of shell shock. After all, Byron T-boned his Lexus (which is why he has a Lexus tattoo on his chest) striking him just behind the driver door. He hit him at about 40 mph or so. The gentleman was taken to the hospital as well. He was in the ICU for a few days, then released within the week.
Only after an eight-hour wait in the hospital did a doctor realize his thigh had swollen to a disproportionate size. The femoral artery was severed in the accident, and Hicks was bleeding out internally. To save his life, a fasciotomy was performed to release the building pressure. An incision from the knee to the hip was made, causing Byron's leg to burst open like a slice sausage casing. The bleeding was contained, but the severity of the injury presented a problem. Because the femur is so large and is a part of the hip and knee, its reconstruction was complicated. After a week, it was decided Byron had to be moved to a different facility. "Then, my surgeon came to me and said that after further review of the work done on my leg, I would need to see a specialist. The job was not performed correctly!" They had just released him from the ICU and put him in a regular room the day before. Now they wanted to transfer him to a hospital in the city.
That evening the hospital moved Byron by ambulance to another hospital near the city. He says it was probably one of the most painful experiences he has ever had. The next morning he noticed a rank smell coming from his body. Byron thought maybe he ate some food with garlic and he was sweating during the night. Maybe he wasn't bathed well enough? He had been bed ridden for a week now. A few minutes later he felt the bandage that was covering his leg and it was gooey. That is where the smell was coming from. Infection had set in resulting in 13 "cleanup" procedures every other day for two weeks as doctors shaved dead muscle in an effort to avoid amputation. The infection eventually cleared, and new hardware was put in his leg to give him a chance to walk again.
"It was very traumatic mentally," Byron said. "It was very hard to deal with for a while. It was hard to deal with for a long time, actually. That whole summer was spent at home lying in bed looking out the window. Mentally it was very hard. Even at that time I didn't know if I'd be able to walk again. I knew I was alive, I knew I had my leg, but I didn't know what level of experience my life would be from that point on. It was tough for a while."
It wasn't until September 2002 that Byron was able to get onto crutches and his, once massive, body had shed 50 pounds. A fitness demon and a bodybuilder in training, the former martial artist and Kaneland football player couldn't leg curl 10 pounds, couldn't get out of bed on his own and was faced with the prospect of needing some kind of walking aid the rest of his life. When asked, "How did you get thru all of that? What gave you the ability to stay focused and driven to recover the way you did?" Byron's response was, "Well honestly, my wife was and is a huge piece to my rebuilding. Tami was my wife of just two years when all this happened. She never once missed a beat. Her strength and courage to get thru our hardship no matter what the outcome, gave me the inner power to put one foot in front of the other without fear of failing. I knew that no matter what, Tami was there at my side to give me strength. She is an amazing woman, an angel to me."
Life Rebuilt:
Just 25 years old, Byron chose a different path. He returned to the gym, and supplemented his prescribed physical therapy with exercises he developed at home. At first, he could only sit. Eventually he could stand. And on his own, he would ditch his cane and move around the gym. He was unsteady, but unfettered -- seven months after the accident.
"Something like this could break anybody," said Tami Hicks, Byron's wife of close to eleven years. "I can't give myself credit, but I can say I did have to pick him up a few times, a couple times when he just wanted to give up. I couldn't let him. It affected my life, my kid's lives, his life. I loved him too much. I had to push him harder, and once I did I think it was kind of like the domino effect and got it going. "He realized how lucky he was to be alive, to have his leg, to be able to walk eventually. It just took a long time to get to that point." Byron wasn't to the point where he could walk around a mall, but progress was being made. He could stand, walk and work, but his hip and knee would not bend at the same time, eliminating his ability to resume serious bodybuilding.
During that time, he and Tami decided to go into business for themselves and opened Jakked Hardcore Gym in Montgomery in September 2006. Now that the gym was literally his livelihood, he broke through. "I've gotten, it seemed, everything I could in my life back to normal from before the accident," he said. "The one thing I didn't get back that I wanted truly was to be able to get on stage at least one time. Just to see if I even liked it, because I'd never done it. It was such a want for me then, then taken unfairly away, to me, in my head, it wasn't settled. "He sought out Chuck Sanow of USA Gym in Bridgeview to train him for competition, a decision based on Sanow's renowned ability to work the legs. The work was hard and painful. Byron spent a week in December barely able to walk due to the extreme soreness. But he pressed forward, putting the finishing touches on a rebuilding effort that led to his first competition on December 8, 2007. "As far as getting through it, we adjusted and just accepted what life threw at us," Tami Hicks said. "It was baby steps." Those baby steps led Byron, to a second-place finish in the open men's heavy division at the NPC Ironman in Chicago, while taking first place as well as top overall in the novice men's heavy division. And in 2010 Byron competed in the NPC Illinois State Championships and got 1st place in the SHW open class. The victory qualified him for national events. But there is a reminder -- a large, bulbous scar on his right leg from the fasciotomy. Self-conscious at first, especially in a sport where you win or lose based on your appearance, the new muscle structure from the 17 surgeries he endured led to look all his own. "It's pretty wild looking. It's pretty nuts," Byron said with a chuckle. "That ended up being a strong point. It's kind of cool."
What Now?
At 34 years old, Byron and his wife, Tami have dedicated their lives to their clients at Jakked Hardcore Gym, working on making their business a success and changing the lives of others. He is also the U.P.A Powerlifting Association State Chairman and hosts many powerlifting and strongman events. But what of the future? It took five years for him to finally make it to the stage, and the victory was sweet. "We are seeing success (at the gym), we are finding members that are extremely happy with the place and now I want to spend a little bit more time with those people and work with them a little bit more," Byron said. If I'm already at the national level now, then there's a chance I could maybe get through it. Byron is currently dieting for the NPC Illinois State and then moving onto Jr. Nationals in June of 2011. He is looking forward to hosting the RX Muscle Bros vs. Pros event at his gym on December 3, 2011. Keep an eye out for him! He is sure to shock audiences everywhere!
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