Recovery for Chad Rosenbrock

My name is Tracy Johns and I have been Claudines's best friend and by her side for the last 15 years. I am going to tell this story the best way I know it. We often say I am her sister from another mister. Some know me as Boo :)

Update: 5/24/2021 

Chad Rosenbrock is the son of Barbara Lewis-Rosenbrock and grandson of June Farquhar Lewis. 

As some of you know already there was a tragic accident yesterday. Chad took his son Caden to the beach with some friends and dove into the ocean head first and fractured his C5 vertebrae, which some of you will know that is the worst fracture to get and can cause permanent damage to the spinal cord. He had also fractured C4 and C6 but not as severe as the C5 that was fractured through the front an back. Chad was taken under the water and struggled to come up, an older gentleman noticed him struggling and called for help, ANGEL if you ask me. Chads friends quickly pulled him out and they called 911 chad had told them he could not feel anything. They brought him to Sentara Virginia Beach General as a trauma, this all happened approximately around 5pm 5/22/21. Claudine received a call from his friends telling her there had been an accident to get to the hospital. Family/friends came to his side at the ER where they stabilized him. Chad was taken into surgery around 10pm and they put in a plate and pins to the back of the C5 vertebrae, he also fractured the front of this vertebra, but neurosurgeon wanted to stabilize the back of the spinal column first being that the surgery to fix the front of the spine is more risky we were told.

It was a long 3 1/2 hours wait for Claudine and I and of course all the family anxiously awaiting an update. The surgeon came to the waiting area and told us the surgery went as well as planned and he fixed the back of the C5 vertebra and stabilized it with pins and a plate. Chad at this time was intubated and sedated coming out of surgery and he was going to the ICU. I asked the neurosurgeon how long it would take to assess for paralysis as Chad had no feeling in his legs and arms going into the surgery. The neurosurgeon was silent and looked and me and Claudine and told us Chad is paralyzed from the shoulders down. We grabbed hands and thanked the surgeon for all that he had done. Claudine was able to be by chads side after surgery to tell him good night.

12:03 Update for today:

Chad remains intubated for now, he had failed his first trial to remove the breathing tube. The doctors want to keep him sedated and allow him to rest today. He did have a period where his heart rate dropped into the 30's which is critical low, they stopped his sedation medication called propofol and started a new drug called Versed and that helped with his heart rate. He is opening his eyes and looking at Claudine and able to nod his head to answer questions. The ICU doctor talked to Claudine and explained that Chad will need a tracheostomy (breathing tube in his neck) to support his breathing in the next couple of days. When patients cannot eat with a tube in neck, they also place a feeding tube which he will get in next few days.

The neurosurgeon stopped by and told Claudine that they will do more CT scans in a few days and decide if they will be doing another spinal surgery. (update: claudine text now and says they are taking him to CT scan now).

Please keep Chad, Claudine, their three kids Nick, Mikayla and Caden in your prayers. I will update this site as often as I get updates.

If anyone knows Claudine she has a heart of GOLD, she loves deeply and always willing to help everyone. Lets gather together and makes things financially a little less of a burden that she will have to deal with for this recovery for her fiance' chad. Please keep them in your prayers.

Chad is a 10 year navy veteran and I'm hoping to find some resources out there for Veterans to get support for him in his road to recovery.