Bobby Riddle, 19; Heartbreaking Story (Well, you know, for those who have a heart)

[Bill Schenley]

Bobby Riddle dies at home

Photo: http://tinyurl.com/852l69t


FROM: The Farmington (NM) Daily Times ~
By Staff

FARMINGTON

Bobby Riddle, 19, was found dead Tuesday afternoon.

A friend of the family found Riddle unresponsive in his bed at about 2:45
p.m. and he was pronounced dead at the scene, said Kim Carpenter, who spoke
on behalf of the Riddle Family on Tuesday.

The cause of death was not immediately known. Riddle had a headache on
Monday and was taken to the emergency room where doctors said he has strep
throat, Carpenter said.

Funeral arrangements are pending, Carpenter said.

"Obviously we're going to have a memorial service, the family will be making
some decision tonight," Carpenter said. "I suspect it is going to be huge."

For years Riddle was a well-liked youth athlete who played baseball and
wrestled at a high level. For the past year he was an inspiring story that
reached beyond athletics.

Riddle was badly injured while burning leaves outside his family home in
November 2010. He was burned over much of his body and spent the last year
recovering in and out of hospitals.

Since his release from the hospital, Riddle was a youth coach and spoke to
church groups.
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Photo: http://tinyurl.com/cl9dky4
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For more on the story:

Farmington teen burn victim endures long recovery

FROM: The Farmington (NM) Daily Times (December 4th) ~
By Ryan Boetel

One year ago, doctors told Rick and Rita Riddle their youngest son was
likely going to die.

But with faith and perseverance, Bobby Riddle pushed himself through one of
the most painful years imaginable.

The doctors and nurses who once called Bobby a longshot now call him a
"miracle," Rita said.

Bobby badly burned most of his body the day after Thanksgiving 2010. His
parents had gone to Laughlin, Nev., to visit Rita's sister for the holiday
and Bobby's weekend chore was to get rid of the leaves in the family's yard
near Farmington High School.

After gathering leaves into a barrel, Bobby used gasoline to burn them away.
It caused an explosion, which set the high school senior on fire and changed
his life forever.

"I remember pouring gas into a barrel, it blowing up, me running, my sister
tackling me," Bobby said in an interview Wednesday. "I got up and ran a
little more, somebody put me out and that's all I remember."

A 10-year-old neighbor was near Bobby when the gas exploded. Bobby pushed
the boy out of the way, which likely increased the severity of his injuries.
The boy was not harmed.

Bobby was flown to University of New Mexico Hospital in Albuquerque that
night.

"He won't survive 24 hours" was the first prognosis his family heard.

"We don't think he will survive the first surgery," doctors then said.

Then they said Bobby would need to spend one year in the hospital, Rita
said.

In March, a little more than three months after the accident, Bobby returned
home to Farmington, most of his formal rehabilitation completed. He returned
to school and finished his curriculum on schedule. He walked with his
classmates at graduation. He's helping out coaching youth sports teams in
Farmington. He mentors young children and hunts regularly with his dad.

But despite his success, don't think Bobby didn't go through hell.

The night of the accident, doctors put a breathing tube in Bobby's trachea
and began a six-week emergency sedation because of the excruciating pain
that comes with treating massive burns, Rita said.

He started coming to his senses around Christmas time, only to start feeling
the skin graft surgeries. Bobby has had 29 skin graft surgeries in the last
year, and more are yet to come.

The first surgery Bobby remembers set him into a frenzy, Rita said.

Doctors sliced a large chunk of skin off the top of his right foot and
stretched it out to be used on one of his arms. For days after the surgery,
if Bobby's hospital bed or foot moved the slightest bit he was screaming.

In between surgeries, Bobby went through intense rehabilitation at the
hospital.

"The hardest thing was that first initial try at getting him out of bed
after laying there for so long," Rita said. "I remember the tears and the
yelling and the screaming."

Bobby had to relearn everything. He couldn't talk, walk, eat, and he had
limited mobility in his arms and legs. He also was diagnosed with
post-traumatic stress disorder and occasionally has nightmares.

But an avid wrestler and football and baseball player all his life, Bobby
used his athletic experience to make and achieve goals for himself in
recovery.

"I knew that if I gave up in a sport, I wasn't going to get anywhere in that
sport," he said. "I made (recovery) a sport. I said If I give up now, I'm
not going anywhere but back in the bed.'"

Bobby, a senior at the time of the accident, made the unlikely goal of
getting back to school and graduating on time. And, to the surprise of
doctors, he walked with his class in May at graduation.

Rita said there were several aspects to Bobby's recovery that led to
success. Unlike many burn patients, Bobby did not scream when he was on
fire, which kept his lungs from being damaged.

Bobby said he knew not to breathe out of his mouth when he was on fire
because his father is a retired fire chief for the Carlsbad Fire Department
and his older brother is a firefighter.

Bobby also has not had a skin infection and his body didn't reject any of
his skin grafts, which commonly happens when treating burn patients, Rita
said.

Bobby continues to push himself to get better on his own. When he's watching
television, he also completes coloring books to improve his range of motion.
His father takes him hunting almost everyday, which helps Bobby improve.

"I can't doesn't exist in this house. That's my attitude," Rick said.
"Sometimes he thinks I'm rough on him, but that's how I was raised. I can't
means you try harder."

Rita is a teacher at Naschitte Elementary, where earlier this year a student
skipped school and set fire to a barn while playing with matches.

Bobby gave that student a talking-to.

Bobby's story of perseverance is also helping others. He's spoken to church
groups about hope and not giving up, and he continues to be a devout
Christian.

He also attended two burn clinics in Albuquerque so doctors could learn from
his skin. It can be uncomfortable and many patients don't let unknown
doctors examine and touch their scars. But as long as it helps other
patients, it's OK, Bobby said.

"It doesn't bother him to go in, take his shirt off, and let them look at
his scars and touch his skin grafts," Rick said. "The first time doctors see
a patient is in the burn unit. To see Bobby and see what they are striving
to get to, that's a big deal."

Bobby may be an inspiring coach in Farmington for years to come. He was a
good baseball player before the accident and planned to try to continue
playing in college.

Now he wants to get into coaching. He helps coach wrestling at Hermosa
Middle School and wants to help the Farmington wrestling team this season.
He also coaches a youth baseball team.

"I think God's pushing me to coach and be a leader for young kids growing
up," Bobby said.

Bobby remains scarred from the accident. His looks will continue to improve
with upcoming surgeries, which at this point are not necessary for survival
but doctors have several planned to improve the appearance of his jaw and
face, Rita said.

"It is still tough, I go through moments where I look at Bobby and I just
see Bobby," Rita said. "And then I look at Bobby and I see the scars, and I
get angry and I get sad."

For Sabrina, Bobby's older sister, the hardest part is thinking about how
the accident continues to complicate his life.

"He should be in college right now," she said. "He should be off having fun
with the rest of his class."

Despite frustrations over the long recovery, his family has a tremendous
amount of pride in the way Bobby coped with accident.

"For most part I look at Bobby and I see an amazing person who has gone
through this horrific accident and has not become bitter and angry," Rita
said. "I see a person who has inspired other people."

Bobby has a future in front of him. He will apply to New Mexico Highlands
University and New Mexico State University to start college as soon as
possible. He continues to be thankful for the outpouring of support he and
his family received from the community, especially fellow high school
students, since the accident. He also is thankful most people in town don't
treat him differently because of his burns.

And after a year of struggle, Bobby realized one important thing about
himself that will shape his life forever: He can handle it.

"If the accident could have happened to any of my friends, I'm glad it
happened to me," he said. "I don't mean to say this in a bad way, but the
way (my friends) act compared to the way I act, I put everything positive."
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Photo: http://tinyurl.com/cxgnur4

[Kris Baker]

"Bill Schenley" <stra...@neo.rr.com> wrote in message
news:jc8val$o2i$1...@dont-email.me...

Poor kid.

I always understood that those who suffered massive burns, were
at risk of secondary infections -- even much later.

There's another burn victim whose story seared into my brain:
Clifford Johnson. He was burnt over much of his body, in the Boston
Cocoanut Grove fire (1942). He was a hero, going back and forth
to rescue others.
After much hospitalization, he left the Army and returned to farm
life -- where, a few years later, he burned to death when his tractor
overturned and the fuel caught fire.

Kris
I fuckin' hate fire