After Birkie accident, Essentia rehab program helps Oregon man make full recovery

When Jerry Tindal clicked into his skis at the American Birkebeiner last February, he was looking forward to returning to a race he hadn't skied in 40 years. At 70, he wasn't trying to prove anything. He was celebrating a lifetime built around movement — biking across the country, running marathons, hiking mountains. On the morning of the Birkie, he had no idea that an accident on the course would threaten his active lifestyle and demand a new level of perseverance.

For the first 10 kilometers of the race, Jerry and his friend Tim were enjoying the perfect conditions and support from the spectators. Twelve kilometers in, Jerry was coming down a hill when a skier in front of him suddenly fell. With no room to maneuver, Jerry became, as Tim later recalled, “a human missile,” landing headfirst on the packed trail.

When he regained consciousness, he couldn’t feel his arms or legs. “I had a sudden realization that I was paralyzed from the neck down,” Jerry, who lives in Oregon, said. “It was the darkest moment I’ve ever experienced.”

What followed was a rapid, coordinated response that ultimately saved Jerry’s life and mobility.

After Birkie medics stabilized him on the trail and prepared him for evacuation, he was transported to the hospital in Hayward, Wisconsin, and then to Essentia Health-St. Mary’s Medical Center in Duluth, the only Level I Adult Trauma Center in the region. There, physicians determined that Jerry had suffered a spinal cord injury known as Central Cord Syndrome. Within 10 hours of the crash, neurosurgeon Dr. Dino Terzic performed emergency cervical spine surgery to relieve pressure on Jerry’s spinal cord.

After nine days in the ICU, Jerry was transferred to Essentia Health–Duluth’s inpatient rehab unit led by Dr. Michael Sperl. The program, designed for patients recovering from life-altering injuries, strokes and neurologic events, provides intensive, team-based therapy that helps patients return home as quickly and safely as possible.

Jerry entered rehab with profound weakness, limited coordination and uncertainty about how much function would return. Essentia’s inpatient rehab team, which includes physicians, nurses, therapists, psychologists and social workers, designed a tightly coordinated, data driven program that addressed every aspect of Jerry’s recovery.

“We have a really strong interdisciplinary team and coordinated care plan for each of our patients in the rehab unit,” said Dr. Sperl. “We really try to care for the whole patient and help them think about how we can get them back to doing the things they love to do.”

Occupational therapists worked with Jerry on fine motor control and daily tasks. Speech-language therapists challenged his cognitive processing and problem-solving skills. Physical therapists focused on balance, gait and strength – navigating uneven surfaces, climbing stairs and rebuilding confidence in movement. Jerry also saw a psychotherapist who supported his emotional recovery and processing.

“What struck me immediately was how integrated everything was,” Jerry said. “Every therapist knew what the others were doing. Each session built on the last, and nothing felt random.”

After nine days in the intensive rehab program, Jerry regained the ability to walk unassisted and was ready to return home to Oregon to continue outpatient therapy. Just four months after the accident, Jerry returned to hiking three to five miles daily, strength training multiple times per week and completed a 13-mile hike in the Oregon Cascades in June.

After an injury that could have permanently altered his mobility and impacted his quality of life, Jerry’s determination, combined with the comprehensive care he received at Essentia Health, helped him make a full recovery and return to the active lifestyle he loves.

This year, Jerry is marking the anniversary of the accident with a trip to Costa Rica where he plans to hike 50 miles through the rainforest. He also has his sights set on completing the Birkie in 2027.

“I have gone from a very dark and disastrous event to one of hope and opportunity,” Jerry said. “That doesn’t happen without exceptional care.”