“Live the actual moment. Only this actual moment is life.” –Thich Nhat Hanh
We spend most of our lives preparing, looking ahead, and planning. We are often future-focused, and sometimes, we miss what is right in front of us. Sometimes, life chooses to remind us of this in devastating ways.
Bryan Kuo is a native of Tahiti, French Polynesia. He moved to Memphis from California in 2010 with his wife and two young kids. As a cyclist and runner, he quickly incorporated himself into his new community.
“I walked out my front door one morning and saw a group of guys biking. I asked them where they were going. From there, I was part of the group. They helped me discover and appreciate the Memphis cycling community. It was refreshing to know I could ride safely around my new town as I learned the area.”
The group introduced Bryan to many areas around Memphis. He remembers preparing for his first ride in Shelby Forest. However, despite his excitement, nothing could have prepared him for the events of August 30, 2023.
“I don’t remember much of it at all. I was told that a groundhog had run out in front of my bike.” Bryan lost control of his bike and crashed hard.
“From what I was told, my head hit the pavement and essentially bounced inside my helmet from one side to the other.”
Among the group were members trained to be first responders. Bryan was stabilized and airlifted to Regional One, where he spent three weeks before being transferred to Baptist, where he stayed another three weeks. Much of his time in the hospital was spent in a coma, fighting for his life.
He was then transferred to Shepherd Center (Atlanta) in October for rehabilitation and was released in early December. He had sustained bilateral facial decompression, severed facial nerves paralyzing his facial movement, a fractured collarbone and shoulder, and a traumatic brain injury that left him with double vision, memory disability, and uncertainty if he would retain the languages he could speak.
“At first, I couldn’t walk straight, but my strength is coming back. I am slowly regaining movement, and I am still bilingual.”
Bryan continues his recovery at home in Memphis. He goes once a week to Southern College of Optometry for vision therapy. “Part of my therapy includes running with my glasses made with prism to help realign my eyes.” He is also in physical therapy at the Shepherd Center (Memphis) and memory and speech therapy at Encompass Center.
“I still remember how to ride and am about 90% back. I mainly run and do indoor training on the bike. I’m not quite ready to get back on the road.”
Bryan urges, “We will all die someday, but, even when doing everything we can to be safe, there are things you cannot train for. We always say, ‘Don’t take things for granted,’ but I think we say that so much we almost don’t hear it sometimes. So, I try to practice actually not taking anything for granted. I’ve gained perspective on time. Now is important.” He laughs, “Sometimes I am too intentional and must remind myself to just be in the moment and relax.”
Bryan wants to express his deep and unconditional gratitude to his friends and family for being on the scene and supporting him through this time. “I am very thankful to my friends and family for their continuous support, especially my wife Angelina, kids, and friends at the time of the crash (Dean, Ron, and Sid). Healing is happening.”
By Amanda Tompkins
Photo by Tindall Stephens
