A Community Recovers

By Jodi Harris - Tyler Smothers is a very special young man. He was born at St. Luke’s Hospital on May 29, 1984, with a rare form of Spina Bifida called Encephelocele.

He had an opening on his spine at the base of his brain stem and his doctors were unsure if he would live. Just after birth, he was flown to University Hospitals in Iowa City for surgery. Doctors implanted a shunt in his brain at four weeks of age. Tyler fought desperately to live, for the first eight weeks of his life. As a result of a very fragile respiratory system, he had to be on oxygen 24/7 from birth until the age of four, and used it at night, and when he was sick, until age six. Now, at age 24, he still contends with frequent respiratory problems.

Tyler has endured 12major surgeries and is in a wheelchair most of the time. He also receives all fluids through a gastrostomy button and uses an apnea machine when he sleeps to monitor low heart beat and periods when he stops breathing. In addition, he has a mild mental disability.

In spite of these issues, his mother, Cindy, says he has always had a fantastic zest for life. He loves sports and has used a modified bike since he was three years old. The activity works as part of his therapy to keep his muscles moving. Cindy says his family often takes him to Cedar Lake to ride a lap around the lake. She shared some great pictures of Tyler with me. Most were taken on his bike, which is a sport he truly loves.

Cindy told me they have nearly lost him many times to health issues, but he continues to amaze his doctors at University Hospitals. She describes his life as a true miracle powered by his positive attitude and drive to help others. He continues to inspire her with his kindness in volunteering and helping others whenever he can.

Tyler’s life is enhanced by his job, through Options of Linn County and many programs funded and organized by the Arc of East Central Iowa. The Arc has provided him and his family with some great things such as respite care, (which provides a break for his family caregivers), and various social programs, which help fulfill his special social life. The Arc has been the high point in much of Tyler’s life.

So, on June 13, when the flood overtook their downtown office, located at 680 Second Street SE, Tyler decided he wanted to help. As he watched hour after hour of flood coverage, his anxiety grew, which fueled his need to help.

His dad, J.J., had knee surgery this summer, so one evening when the family was at St. Luke’s Hospital making a visit, they helped Tyler brainstorm a way to help the Arc. He loves to ride his bike, so he wanted to do something involving a bike ride. Someone was flipping through the channels on the television and something was mentioned about Tour de France. Jokingly, someone suggested Tyler should call it “Tour de Flood 2008″. The idea sounded great so, with the help of his family, the planning began.

The date was set for Aug. 10, and Tyler decided he could ride his bicycle, which looks like an adult sized trike, around The Cedar Lake Trail to raise funds for the organization. He wanted it to be a challenge, so he decided to set a goal to ride three times around the trail, rather than his usual single lap. He knew it would be difficult, and figured since the usual trip takes about 45 minutes, that it would take him about three hours.

He had never done this before, but backed by his family, he started to gather donations for the ride.

Cindy and J.J. have three other children; Joshua, 27; Erica, 20; and Samantha, 17. The family dubbed “Team Tyler” stepped up to the plate to help him promote the event.

Tyler and his family hoped he might raise a couple of thousand dollars to help the Arc. But once the word got out, it spread like wildfire.

The Arc thought, with a bit of promotional help, he could make it to $5,000.

Delaine Peterson, Executive Director of The Arc, said the motto for Tyler’s ride has been to “Flood The Arc with Donations”, and a link from the Arc’s website www.arceci.org was added to help him gather donations. Did someone say FLOOD? The donations flooded in and suddenly, it looked like he may hit $10,000!

When the day finally arrived, the weather was warm, sunny and perfect for his ride. A crowd of friends and family came to cheer him on, and the media turned out too. It seemed everywhere he looked, there were cameras. Tyler’s family had special “Team Tyler” t-shirts made for the event, in his favorite Hawkeye colors. Before the race, Tyler was quoted as saying, “Three laps will definitely be a long ride. But I’m hoping I can do it to help rebuild the Arc.”

He started his first lap just after 11:00 a.m. and a couple of hours later, he had reached his goal! It was a great accomplishment and an outstanding example of how a special young man and a great idea can make a difference.

Now, a few weeks after the ride, the donation tally has climbed to over $15,000 and funds are still coming in!

Tyler is a truly amazing example of how one person can make a such a positive difference in our community. Thanks, Tyler, for setting the bar so high for the rest of us. While we were all thinking about it, you went out and did it! You are a great inspiration to all of us.

Donations can still be made at www.arceci.org or mailed to The Arc of East Central Iowa, 680 2nd Street, SE, Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52401.

This blog entry was reported and written by Jodi Harris. You can find out more about Jodi, here.