Jason Early, plane crash survivor

“I knew I was in bad shape. I felt as if I had no legs, and my hand was gushing blood. And it was freezing. Thank God Sean was with me. We huddled up to keep warm.”

For most people, this is more like a scene from a movie. But this was really happening to Jason Early on a cold November morning in 2007. On the way home from one of his college basketball games, Jason, his father, Brian, and his friend, Sean were flying in his father’s plane when they went down in a terrible crash. His father was killed instantly. His friend had relatively minor injuries

Jason suffered major injury to his legs. He was airlifted from St. Luke’s Hospital in Newburgh to Westchester Medical Center for trauma care, where Dr. Jay Yelon, Chief of Trauma and Surgical Critical Care, and his team were waiting.

The surgery to repair Jason’s legs was successful. But Jason developed a complication called acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), a life-threatening condition in which the lungs fill with fluid. “On average, the chances of survival with this condition are about 50-50,” says Dr. Yelon. “His chances seemed even less.”

Dr. Yelon reacted quickly and Jason was placed in a special bed called the RotoProne. Gravity is needed to drain the fluid and let the lungs get more air in. This technologically-advanced bed actually rotates, allowing the patient to comfortably lay face down for long periods of time. Jason remained in the RotoProne for three weeks with his mother, Kathy, his sister, Molly, and other relatives by his side.

During this time, a special bond began to form between the hospital staff and this courageous family. “You spend that much time in the room, you become really familiar with everyone,” says Kathy. “The staff helped us set up a CarePage through their website so friends and family could get updates. They wrapped us in love and concern.”

“They needed our support—to know we were there for them,” recalls Adele Rushneck-Feeney, Assistant Nurse Manager of the Trauma Intensive Care Unit at Westchester. “We connected from day one.”

One thing Kathy was not expecting was that someone would notice the picture she had placed at her son’s bedside. It showed him playing basketball. Jason awoke to a surprise one day as members of the New York Knicks walked into his room to wish him well. They were in the hospital for an event and staffers had arranged for the very special visit.

“So in walks David Lee, Jamal Crawford, Nate Robinson and a couple of other players,” Jason says. “It was really cool.”

“He couldn’t talk because he still had a tracheotomy tube in his throat, but his face just lit up,” says Kathy.

Jason was discharged from the hospital almost a month after the crash and spent 45 days in rehabilitation. He can now walk normally and can even play golf. While he cannot run or play basketball, he considers himself very lucky.

“Considering they thought I might never walk again, I am very happy where I am,” he says. “It’s good to be alive.”

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