Eric Birnbaum, severe trauma patient

Eric Birnbaum went out for a bike ride like he had done many times before. Without warning an SUV abruptly turned in front of him. He had no time to stop. No time to react. The impact broke his nose, both cheekbones, the orbital around his right eye and his upper jaw. He also lost five teeth and sustained major lacerations across his chest and throat.

Eric was immediately airlifted to Westchester Medical Center’s Trauma ICU. He arrived unconscious and clinging to life. When he woke up a day and a half later, WMC’s trauma team had made great strides toward repairing his broken bones and healing his wounds. “But the first time I looked at myself, it was gruesome”, says Eric, a resident of Bedford Hills, NY. But had he not looked in a mirror, he’d have never known it. “Everyone in the Trauma ICU would look me in the eyes with a sense of confidence and optimism. Every time they looked at me they had a way of saying everything would be okay. To a great extent,” Eric says, “the way they looked at me -- right in the eye as if I looked normal -- was a huge factor in my healing.”

Nine months after his accident, Eric was back on his bike again. The first event he entered was the Medical Center’s annual biathlon. And he’s been riding ever since.

Learn more about the Trauma & Burn Center at Westchester Medical Center.