When most fathers picture their daughter’s wedding day, they imagine the moment they’ll proudly take her arm and walk her toward the future. For Russell McKeehan, that dream became his guiding star through years of unimaginable challenges, and thanks to his grit and a Denver neurosurgeon’s rare skill, it may finally come true.
“In my mind, I want her day to be about her and not be about me,” McKeehan said. “And the more normal I can be, the more happy she can be about this situation.”
McKeehan’s story started long before wedding bells. Back in 1995, while working as a paramedic, tragedy struck when his ambulance driver fell asleep at the wheel. The accident damaged his nervous system, though he wouldn’t realize it until years later.
In 2007, he entered the hospital with chronic headaches, only to wake up a few days later paralyzed from the neck down.
“I often joke,” he told CBS News Denver, “you can’t write soap opera as bad as what I’ve lived through.”
But even soap operas rarely pack in as many twists. After years of adjusting to life with paralysis, McKeehan turned to Dr. Scott Falci, a neurosurgeon at Denver’s HCA HealthONE Swedish, in 2017. The surgery Falci performed gave him back the use of his arms and legs. It was a miracle, until misfortune struck again.
Driving his son’s pickup at just 45 mph, McKeehan lost control when loose lug nuts caused the truck to flip four times. He broke his neck, humerus, ribs, and sternum. The hard-fought progress he had made slipped painfully backward.
Still, his determination didn’t waver.
This year, McKeehan returned to Dr. Falci for another surgery, one so rare that only 10% of patients ever receive it. His motivation? A single, beautiful goal: walking his daughter down the aisle.
Dr. Falci described his patient as “amazing” and “highly motivated.”
“Twelve hours after the surgery, we weren’t expecting this, he’s moving his arm, he’s pulling his arm up to his face, and he’s kicking his left leg,” Falci said. “He’s been through a lot, and, yeah, what he’s achieved, just with self-determination and desire is amazing.”
For McKeehan, the journey has been long and filled with setbacks, but his compass has always pointed toward one moment. Now, as his daughter prepares to say “I do,” this father’s resilience shines brighter than ever.
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