Many things in life follow a natural progression. You train, then rest, and get stronger and faster as a result. You start a job knowing very little and become an expert over time. Even declines in performance and health are often gradual and progressive. Where you could recover from a hard ride in a day 10 years ago, maybe it takes two days to feel fresh again now. We’re so used to gradual change we sometimes forget that life can change in the blink of an eye, or in the case of CTS Athlete Services Manager Dominic Guinto, just a few hours.
Dominic is the raspy Marine/triathlete/mountain biker you’ll most likely talk to when you call CTS to sign up for coaching, a camp, or Bucket List event. He was in Breckenridge, CO for Stage 5 of the USA Pro Challenge a few weeks ago. The next morning he woke up with a fever. By mid-morning he was having trouble breathing. By mid-afternoon he was intubated an in an induced coma, where he stayed for four days.
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Dominic’s fight with a stubborn streptococcus bacterial infection scared the hell out of us. Our first concern was for him, his health, and his family. But not far behind that was the realization that it could have been any one of us in that intensive care unit. He was fine on Friday and in a coma on Saturday.
Fast-forward to today and Dom has completely recovered. But the experience of losing four days of his life shook him, as you would expect, and put some important things in perspective. The following was written by Dominic Guinto.
Chris Carmichael
CEO/Head Coach of CTS
What I Learned in a Coma
I have been competing as a cyclist, triathlete and runner since I was 8 years old. For a time I was that age grouper who worked for every second I could shave from my time. I have never been a pro; I race because I love it. I love the challenge, I love the outdoors, I love testing myself, and my family loves the person I am when sport is a part of my life.
Each of us began cycling with the unwritten understanding that we’d probably sustain an injury at some point. Whether it’s breaking an arm in a MTB wreck or redecorating our bodies with road rash injuries aren’t fun but we accept them, recover, set new goals and move on. Over the years I have amassed a laundry list of injuries that make airport metal detectors jump like a Geiger counter at 3-Mile Island! Each injury that has taken something from me has also added to my life in some way. Although my latest trip to the hospital was caused by strep bacteria instead of a collision with a tree, I gained a lot by losing four days of my life in a coma.
As athletes we follow our training plans, we condition our bodies, we prepare our equipment and we listen to our coaches. We prepare for what we expect so we can better handle the unexpected. But that preparation is rarely tested by anything more serious than leg cramps or a sour stomach. With my health quickly declining on Saturday morning, I was put to the test at a whole new level and I learned I was prepared.
To use some cycling analogies, I learned that competing and goal setting my entire life helped me stay calm, work the problem, keep moving forward, and never give up. I learned that helping others and treating them right won’t help you if you only decide to do it in the last mile of the race. The outpouring of support for me and my family was so overwhelming that I can only deduce that the good from fixing strangers’ trailside flats and mechanicals, providing a word or two of encouragement at races, and carrying a few extra bottles or the heavier pack really does come back to you. I know this because when it counted people from all phases and locations of my past and present came running to my aid. For that I am thankful. I’m even more thankful I lived to be able to thank them personally.
A couple days after leaving the hospital, once the fog of anesthesia finally cleared, I suddenly felt the need to write. I guess my brain had been working in the background all along, because I blurted out the following in 5 minutes one evening as a response to the hundreds of Facebook messages I had received. Though a bit raw, it’s the truth as I see it. I’m proud to have gained this knowledge and even happier to pass it on. Life happens fast, be prepared.
Some random post-coma thoughts and observations, in no particular order:
1.No matter how much you prepare for your death, you aren’t ever ready to die. Not if fighting is an option.
2.Be honest and treat people nicely. It’s the best insurance policy ever! Even if you never need it. But you will.
3.Regardless of your steadfastness to the above, DON’T EVER BE Without Actual Health Insurance!
4.Science is amazing and it saved my life. At the same time, the ability to fully manipulate the human body via science is still a little creepy… and painful… and expensive…
5.You are never too old to be glad Mom flew across the country to take care of you.
6.Nothing. Nothing, is more important than family and friends. Nothing.
7.There are still caring, cool people in this world. Don’t believe me, just ask and I will gladly name them personally.
8.No amount of preparation, coaching or step-by-step manuals will help your wife fix the TV if you are not there.
9.Missing motivation to ride? Try not living for a minute.
10.I have the best friend and wife ever. Ashley Guinto, I hope to never repay what you have endured for me. I can say simply, Thank You. Your ability to keep the girls, homework, and the house together while I just laid around was beyond admirable. I am proud that you are my wife.
11.Lexie Rae (our 12 yr. old Labrador retriever) will only eat when daddy’s home.
12.I read a slogan in a magazine the day I awoke and although cliché, it went something like this: “The saying isn’t Carpe Tomorrow!” Now go have fun, live, love and live some more. Nothing else really matters.
Thanks everyone! Let’s not do this again real soon… but if we do, I’m ready!
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Reserve your 2016 Camp before September 15, 2015 and CTS-Coached Athletes can take $200 OFF the advertised price! This exceeds the normal CTS Athlete Discount. New Athletes can take advantage of a FREE month of Select Coaching with 2016 Camp Signup! View Camp Calendar Here.