It was an hour and a half before a lady walking her dog discovered Kyle Gieni laying face down in a pool of his own blood.
The brakes on the then-20-year-old's mountain bike gave out on a hill. Speeding along the pathway, Gieni hit a rock, was hurled from his bike and landed on the ground, splitting his lip to his chin.
By the time he arrived in hospital, Gieni had lost three litres of blood. The human body normally contains five litres.
I was lucky to be alive, Gieni said, as he rolled his wheelchair to the front of Don Ross Secondary School's gymnasium.
Packed with students, the room was silent as Gieni spoke about coming to terms with life as a paraplegic. Don Ross is one of Gieni's many stops as he visits schools with the initiative No Regrets Live to talk about preventing injuries with smart thinking.
It's a topic that hits home with 撸奶社区youth, the school's principal Nick Pascuzzi said. Surrounded by an abundance of outdoor recreation, kids are faced with decisions that could lead to injury every day, he said.
I think in general, extreme sports are getting more extreme, Pascuzzi said.
Friday (April 26), marked the first time the tour had visited the school. As spring blooms and the weather warms, students are becoming more involved in outdoor activities, Pascuzzi said.
[The presentation] just underscores how important it is to really think through the risks that are involved [in certain activities], he said.
Gieni wasn't wearing a helmet and he didn't check his brakes the day he broke his back. They're two simple actions Gieni said he wishes he had taken time out to do.
Only you can be responsible for your own life, he told the students.
For more information on the program visit www.parachutecanada.org.
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