Chicago firefighter begins battle back after being paralyzed during San Francisco triathlon
(WGN) — Paralyzed ten days ago in the middle of a San Francisco triathlon, injured Chicago firefighter Jose Perez is beginning the battle back after multiple surgeries.
Perez was on the West Coast for the June 1 Escape From Alcatraz Triathlon when he launched himself off a boat, and a freak collision left him face down in the waters near the Golden Gate Bridge.
'I just felt a big boom,' Perez said. '[I] just hit the back of my head.'
Perez described the moment over Zoom from his San Francisco hospital bed. Another triathlon swimmer landed on top of him, leaving him paralyzed.
'I couldn't move. I couldn't do anything and I was telling myself, 'come on man! Start swimming!'' Perez said. 'But I couldn't do anything.'
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The 35-year-old firefighter said the swim portion of the Triathlon felt chaotic and disorganized, with transport boats delivering numerous triathletes to a jump-off point.
Swimmers jumped off the transport boats in droves. Perez said he was fully aware of what was happening, even after the collision.
'I actually remember everything very vividly. I never lost consciousness,' Perez said. 'There was another swimmer that just happened to be in the water, saw what happened, [and] came on by. He turned my head over, turned me on my back and just started yelling for help.'
San Francisco Fire Department marine units on Jet Skis took Perez to shore before rushing him to Zuckerberg General Hospital, where specialists in spinal cord injuries performed emergency surgery.
Several days later, Perez went under the knife again, this time for spinal decompression surgery. The end result helped Perez regain movement to portions of his arms, hands and feet, but doctors warn it's a long road to recovery.
Perez said he faces at least a year of treatment and rehab with uncertain long-term results expected from his efforts. His family and friends have started a GoFundMe page to help with growing medical expenses.
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