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ANOKA, Minn. (KMSP) - Thirteen-year-old Daylan West is in a hospital bed at North Memorial unable to feel anything from the waist down or breathe on his own. His mother said he may never walk or ride his beloved bike again, but credits his helmet for saving his life.
Like many seventh-grade boys, Daylan lives to spend his summers biking, skateboarding and doing almost anything outside, but this year, he'll have to get used to a new set of wheels after an ATV accident over Memorial Day weekend.
Daylan was visiting his cousin in northern Minnesota when the pair took a 4-wheeler out for the last ride before Daylan was supposed to come home on Monday. His mom, Danielle Thies believes they swerved to miss an animal on the trail, causing their ATV to roll over, throwing both teens off the vehicle. After he was airlifted to North Memorial, doctors told his family the accident severed his spinal cord.
"I used to yell at him to stop running up and down the stairs, and now, I think I'll never hear that again. That is the hardest thing,” she said.
Now, the Anoka Middle School student who was counting down the days until he could play football in eighth grade may never get to take the field. He can't feel anything from the waist down, and doctors said he will probably never walk or ride his beloved bike again.
A GoFundMe account has been set up to help the family: https://www.gofundme.com/276z4cxw#