Brain injury survivor has a new life mission
At a young age, Josh Morros became popular in Reno, Nev., for his motorcycle racing skills. At 16 years old he had already won a MRANN championship and was under contract with Kawasaki. In fact, the pros said he was the next big thing in the off-road motocross racing world.
Back then for him, it was all about the win.
In August 2008, Morros crashed during a high-speed racing competition near Wendover. He said, that's when his journey began. Morros writes this message on his Facebook page.
"In that moment, which I didn't understand or comprehend at the time, my life gained true meaning," he wrote.
Now, three years later, Morros is beginning a new journey in life — raising awareness for traumatic brain injury survivors.
He's doing it with a cross-country bike ride. He started his 2,700 mile trek from Reno, Nev. on June 20 and plans to reach Vienna, Va., the headquarters of Brain injury Association of America, by July 29.
This week Morros is riding through Salt Lake City with the team of doctors and other caregivers who helped save his life.
And if you ask the now 19-year-old why he's riding a bike cross-country while still recovering from a traumatic brain injury, he'll say it's because he can.
"Sky's the limit," he said. "And whatever's up there, I'm going to grab it."
He'll make that journey one mile at a time, as he put it, riding his bike 38 to 100 miles a day.
It took a team of nearly 60 medical professionals to help rehabilitate Morros. His parents John and Teresa have photos of him with his doctors, nurses, and physical therapists. Looking at those photos of himself while he lay in a hospital bed in a coma for two weeks, Morros never thought he'd to do what he's doing now.
"There's time when I wanted to get off and start walking. I was tired," he explained. "I just kept thinking to myself other kids have it way harder. And they just keep pushing. If they can do it, I can do it."
His doctors never thought he'd make it either. Don Van Boerum was one of Morros' doctors who cared for him at Intermountain Medical Center.
"His parents told us all along well 'he's a fighter.' He has a competitive spirit. He's going to bounce back. He's going to do just fine,'" explained Dr. Don Van Boerum, a critical care surgeon at Intermountain Medical Center. "Those of us that see a lot of brain injuries know that's not always the case."
Morros' mother admits there were days she too was nervous about his chances of surviving the crash.
"The last time we were here, it was just so bleak," she said. "I never in my wildest dreams thought it would be to this point. I really didn't."
His mother says now her son is on a life mission to help the millions of people living in the United States with traumatic brain injuries.
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