Back on the Bike
Joe Cook’s Story
The old adage says that the only way to ride a horse
is to get right back on it after you fall off of it.
But for Joe Cook, the horse was actually a bicycle
– one that not only challenged him to get back
on, but taught him a thing or two about priorities.
Joe was riding his bike to work from his home in
Dummerston four years ago, something he’d been
doing whenever possible for 30 years, when he inexplicably
fell off and suffered a serious concussion.
“I probably should have known something
was really wrong when I called the law firm where
I’d worked two years prior to that and called
in sick,” he said, laughing.
True to his stubborn nature, Joe drove himself to
Brattleboro Memorial Hospital, where he was admitted
and learned the extent of his injuries. It turned
out he also had a compound fracture of his collar
bone, which he had not comprehended when he’d
pushed his bicycle back to his home and had driven
to the hospital.
Joe said he doesn’t remember a lot about the
accident or hospitalization, but he does remember
asking his neurologist, Dr. Donaldson, what would
have happened if he hadn’t been wearing a helmet.
“She said I’d either be dead or
still in Hanover,” he reported. “That
really caused me to reflect on some important things
in life. Especially, as an estate planning attorney,
it caused me to appreciate what is really important
- family, friends, colleagues, clients, and places
like Brattleboro Memorial Hospital.”
Joe said it was then that he and his wife, Debbie,
decided to increase their annual donation to the hospital.
Debbie was subsequently diagnosed with melanoma and
received her outpatient treatment at BMH. The care
Joe and Debbie both received at BMH prompted them
to contribute to the hospital’s current capital
campaign.
“We know firsthand the competent staff
at Brattleboro Memorial Hospital, the caring treatment,
and the need for an expanded oncology facility.
As prior generations have done, we are glad to be
able to support the hospital during this important
construction effort. It’s our turn.”
