Thursday, October 27, 2011

Six months after accident, Conrad Murphy focuses on the positive

Conrad Murphy finds a way to keep smiling in tough times

Click here to see more recent photos of Conrad

By Dan Kidder

Six months ago, Conrad Murphy was clinging to life after he survived a terrible head-on car crash while on his way to baseball practice.

And until just over a month ago, the 2010 Valley Center High School graduate says that he didn’t completely believe that what was happening to him was real.

Murphy says that his memories of the early days of his recovery are like a dream—flashes of clarity mixed with confusing, muddled images that don’t fit together. What brought him back to a mostly-conscious state was the pain of a terrible side effect from all the necessary antibiotics pumped into his system.

“I remember what we were doing two days before the accident, and then I thought I remembered waking up, but it was just a hallucination or a dream or something,” he says. “But the first thing I remember after the accident is waking up in horrible pain. The C-DIF bacteria that I got from the antibiotics was horrible, it was the most pain I’ve ever been in. I honestly thought about suicide, it hurt that bad.”

But even as his physical health improved, he says that he kept expecting to wake up and be back to normal.

“Something happened when I saw my truck,” he says, describing the first time he saw the mangled remains of the vehicle that bore the brunt of the head-on collision. “I don’t know if it was a side effect of my injuries, but for a while, I thought it was all fake, like a hallucination or like The Truman Show or something. But when I saw what was left of my truck, I knew it was all real.”

“Anybody who sees that truck, it just leaves you in awe,” says Murphy’s dad, Jim. “Behind the driver’s seat, you can see where there was a pool of blood, and the effect that has on you, it makes you think twice. I haven’t seen them, but I was told that one of the paramedics took some photos at the scene, and the way the column behind the driver’s door was smashed into Conrad’s head, they were amazed that he was still alive. Once we saw that truck, we realized all over again just how lucky we are that he’s alive.”

That was in September, and now, with six months of recovery behind him since the accident, Murphy says that it’s been a difficult journey, but he’s able to see just how well he’s doing.

“When I first got out of the hospital, I was very discouraged,” he admits. “What keeps me going now is a mixture of hope and rage. I have hope that I’m getting better, but I’m angry that this happened to me just because some guy weaved into my lane. I am getting better though, and that hope keeps me positive. And the rage helps me work harder in therapy. I look at where I was three months ago, and I’m really hopeful about where I’ll be three months from now.”

Murphy acknowledges that his athletic training helped him prepare for the occupational therapy he goes through now, but he also says that there were dark days when he didn’t know how he would make it through.

“God helped me get through it, and it helped that I was too lethargic to follow through on committing suicide,” he says. “But it was really tough.”

Murphy has three sessions a week in occupational therapy and one session in psychology, helping him exercise his brain as it recovers. He says that the injuries to his brain have been the hardest to deal with, both in how his mental processes have changed and in how other people relate to him.

“Most people can understand a disability, but this has been hard because you don’t know how much other people can affect you,” he says. “So many people have been so encouraging, and the whole Valley Center community did so much. But one guy told me not to get my hopes up, and I know that he was trying to be helpful, but it came at a bad time and I took it horribly, and it really discouraged me.

“But that’s part of what a brain injury does,” he continues. “I don’t have any short-term memory issues, but I still deal with a lot of anxiety and fear. It’s really scary sometimes, like you know how you get that feeling like somebody’s right behind you? I’ll get that sometimes. I’m still scared that I’ll get hurt again, so I don’t like going in vehicles.”

But Murphy’s progress has been remarkable—his family was told that he had less than a two percent chance of surviving his injuries, and when it became clear that he would survive, he was told that he would most likely not be able to walk again. And even though his vision has been affected—Murphy went from 20/10 vision before the accident to needing to wear glasses for his 20/30 vision—he was told that his injuries should have left him blind. He still doesn’t have the full use of the left side of his body—a sensation he describes as a feeling “like my arm is asleep, times ten.”—but he is able to walk, talk and see, and still regularly beats his brother at chess.

“I don’t want to brag or anything, but I shouldn’t be doing as well as I am right now,” Murphy says. “I’m setting my own goals, and right now, I want to be able to jog again. I used to jog up the hill behind our house every day, and I loved it. I’ve been approved to lift weights again, so I’ve been able to lift ninety-five pounds in therapy, which is better than lifting PVC pipe like I was a few months ago.”

As he walks around the house, cracks jokes with his family, hangs out with his friends, practices the piano and the guitar, and continues to improve, Murphy says that he’s able to keep a positive outlook through everything.

“I’m blessed, because things could be a lot worse,” he says. “I’ve been through a lot, and in a lot of ways, it’s still miserable. But I can focus on the positive now. I try to look at the good things, like how I have a really cool story and a lot of great sympathy scars. I don’t want to sound dumb or clichéd or whatever, but I really try to stay positive and stay hopeful, because no matter how bad things are, it could always get worse.”

Murphy and his family are also incredibly grateful to the Valley Center community for all the support they’ve received, from the hugs and handshakes to the love and prayers to the tireless efforts of those who organized the fundraiser concert in July.

A fund-raiser golf tournament for Murphy will be held on Jan. 24 at the Fallbrook Country Club.

To pass on your words of encouragement to Conrad, search Facebook for the page “Get Well Soon, Conrad Murphy.”

Saturday, October 22, 2011

Video: Valley Center vs. Mt. Carmel football

The Jaguars played tough in a physical game against Mt. Carmel on Friday, coming away with a 48-21 win for their seventh consecutive victory. Here are the video highlights:

Video by Kelly Kidder

Ryan Kleiman goes deep for Michael McInerny, who shows great concentration in turning around, finding the ball and hauling it in for a 40-yard touchdown.


Garrett Fiehler picks up a few yards, but McInerny gets tangled up with Mt. Carmel CB Dominique Nelson in an outburst that had been brewing for a few plays. Both players were penalized on the play.


Fiehler takes the handoff, breaks a tackle and gets in for the touchdown.


The Sundevils pitch the ball wide, but VC CB Cody Gearhart makes the tackle for a big loss.


Kleiman fakes the handoff and finds Damian Stehly for a three-yard touchdown completion.


Fiehler rumbles in for a 3-yard touchdown in the third quarter.


Fiehler pushes the pile to get a one-yard touchdown on fourth down in the fourth quarter.


Sundevil WR Dominique Nelson catches a short swing pass and tries to leap over Anthony Ricks, but instead ends up kicking him in the head, knocking off his helmet. Nelson was penalized for the kick.


Fiehler gets hit in the backfield, but breaks free and dives into the corner of the endzone for a nine-yard touchdown.


The Sundevils, in desperation passing mode late in the game, try to complete a pass near the goal line, but Ricks swoops in to get the interception and returns it 93 yards for a touchdown.

Saturday, October 15, 2011

Video: Valley Center at San Marcos football

It was a close game for three quarters, but the Jaguars broke out with 14 points in a span of 23 seconds in the fourth quarter to beat San Marcos 34-17 on Friday night. Here are the video highlights:

Video by Kelly Kidder

he Knights complete a quick pass to the WR, but JD Frankovich drills the receiver for a loss.


Ryan Kleiman airs it out for Michael McInerny for a 36-yard gain on the Jaguars' first offensive play of the game.


Garrett Fiehler takes the ball to the outside and runs in for a five-yard touchdown.


The Knights try to run the ball, but Dylan Fredenburg makes a big tackle in the backfield.


Kleiman hits McInerny on a post pattern for a 20-yard gain.


As the Knights try to rally in the third quarter, they pass the ball over the middle, but Tommy Aguilar steps in front to get the interception.


McInerny hits a short field goal to put the Jags up by six in the third quarter.


Kleiman throws it deep for McInerny for a big gain down to the two-yard line.


Fiehler puts the Jaguars up by ten with a two-yard touchdown run.


Kleiman rolls out and tosses it deep for McInerny, who out-jumps his defender for the catch on an 80-yard touchdown pass.


Martin Cunningham jumps in front of this San Marcos pass to get an interception in the fourth quarter.


Kleiman hits Cody Gearhart on a wheel route down the sideline for a 34-yard touchdown late in the game.


The Knights try some trickery with a halfback pass, but Aguilar breaks up the completion for the Jags.

Sunday, October 9, 2011

Video: Valley Center vs Escondido football

The Jaguars celebrated Homecoming on Friday night with a 35-7 win over Escondido. Here are the video highlights:

Video by Dan Kidder

The Cougars complete a pass over the middle, but when the receiver fumbles, Matt Preston is there to scoop up the loose ball.


Ryan Kleiman rolls out and finds Damian Stehly for a completion down to the one-yard line.


Garrett Fiehler pounds the ball in for a one-yard touchdown in the first quarter.


The Cougars run a toss to the outside and the runner has the ball knocked away, but Escondido comes up with the recovery.


The Cougars get stuffed at the line and fumble, and Dylan Smith is there for the recovery.


Fiehler runs in his second score from one yard out.


Kleiman rolls out and hits Jean-Marc Brierre for a two-point conversion.


The Cougars try to complete a quick pass on the slant, but JD Frankovich jumps the route and gets the interception.


Fiehler runs into his own line, gets hit and fumbles, and the Cougars get the ball.


Fiehler busts through the line and outruns the defense down the middle of the field for a 67-yard touchdown.


Kleiman rolls out and finds Stehly, who works his way down the sideline for a 30-yard touchdown.


The Cougars have trouble on a handoff exchange, leading to a fumble that the offense gets back.


Dylan Glass gets some help from the line to get the ball across the line for a one-yard touchdown run.


The Cougars try to complete the pass on a post pattern, but Tommy Aguilar flips the receiver with a big hit to cause the incompletion.

Saturday, October 1, 2011

Video: Valley Center vs. Ramona football

Friday night's game between Valley Center and Ramona was a thriller from start to finish, as the Jaguars came back from a late deficit to beat the Bulldogs 38-24. Check out the video highlights from the game...

video by Everett Bean

Ryan Kleiman hits Michael McInerny on a slant, and the receiver outruns the defense for a 79-yard score early in the first quarter.


The Bulldogs try to connect on a pass near the sideline, but JD Frankovich drops off his man in time to snag the interception.


Kleiman runs the quarterback draw, eludes a few defenders and finds his way into the endzone for a ten-yard touchdown.


On a run by the Bulldogs, Zach Tests flies around the end and delivers a big hit on the runner.


On a post pattern over the middle, VC WR Cody Gearhart dives to make the catch, but the pass is ruled incomplete, even though Gearhart came up with the ball securely in his hands.


Garrett Fiehler drives through the line to score a one-yard touchdown on a fourth-and-goal midway through the second quarter.


The Bulldogs try to pick up a first down through the air, but Gearhart delivers a bone-rattling hit to knock the ball away.


Fiehler has the ball stripped away, but when the Bulldogs recover and try to get away, QB Ryan Kleiman drops the ball-carrier with a solid tackle.


Kleiman puts up a deep pass for McInerny, but the Ramona CB makes a good play and comes away with the interception.


Jean-Marc Brierre breaks through the line to drop the Ramona quarterback for a sack on third down late in the third quarter.


On fourth down, Kleiman rolls out and heaves the ball deep down the middle, where Gearhart out-jumps his defender to come down with the catch that set up the game-winning touchdown.


Fiehler plows into the pile and escapes for a 13-yard touchdown that proved to be the game-winning points.


Dylan Fredenburg slips through the offensive line to drop the ball-carrier with a big hit late in the fourth quarter.


Martin Cunningham comes on the blitz, hits the QB hard and forces a fumble late in the fourth quarter.


Shaun Woods gets to the QB on third-and-21 for a sack that forced a desperation fourth-down pass that came up short and all but sealed the win for the Jaguars.


Fiehler hits the hole and takes off for a 67-yard touchdown run with 41 seconds left in the game to put the game out of reach.