While tying to escape from a Foster dad I made reckless choices and ended up in jail for the second time. I stole from stores and people’s houses to acquire food and/or money. I was still a very young teenager and was discarded by my parents. For a bunch of reasons but I believe it all came down to not finding common ground and communication problems. We all have problems we can work on.

I received a six month sentence for a couple of theft charges. There may have been other charges but I would be lying if I tried say anything else. Absolutely everything I have written in these blocks of my blog are true. I know I made bad decisions in my life and do have many regrets. Sharing my story is not going to be on that list.

I received six months and when I was back inside I was treated very differently than the first time I entered the Y.D.C. or Youth Detention Center. The first time I was fourteen and facing two Armed Robberies and Assault with a Weapon with Intent to Kill or Harm, So on that trip I was watched carefully and not trusted. As soon as I received my sentence on the second time around, it would be my guess the staff wanted to see me back on the streets.

I was given a case worker and within a couple of weeks I started to go on outings with my worker outside the jail. It was only once a week but I honestly enjoyed the break of not being in jail. This lasted for only a short period of time and then I was told I was going to be transferred to a work camp in Campbell River. I was to leave the very next day.

I was so mad inside but knew there was nothing I could do since I was leaving the very next day. My guess is the staff saw I did not act out on any of my outing ,’ so they would reward me with a stay at a camp beside a lake. I also would no longer be locked up in a cell at night. Instead I would be staying inside a wood cabin, with no bars. To them , I believe they were trying to show me a courtesy. A little more freedom than being locked up behind steel and concrete.

I was mad and felt betrayed. I was being a good boy and was being treated special ! I had nothing but kind thoughts for the outings to a mall or a park. I felt they just didn’t want to deal with me. Just like my parents did not want to deal with me so I was given away to strangers. Even though a stranger took me in , I was just a kid. I was exposed to the kind of things a young teenage boy should not of been exposed to. Prostitution and drug addicted people were just a couple things on that long list. I would guess it should seem obvious I was exposed to a lot of violence , even a couple life and death situations.

So if these people wanted to hand me off to someone else , I’ll be damned if I am going for a second round. I believe I had made up my mind that I was going to run away as soon as the steel gate closed on my cell door that night. It took me a long time to get to sleep that night. When the staff or , the guards , came to unlock my door in the morning , I awoke with butterflies in my belly. Knowing today the staff were going to punish me by sending me away so they would no longer have to deal with me. At least I can say that is how I saw this playing out.

I look back today and realize with a little bit of counseling and communication I may have viewed this as a good opportunity for me, but that is not what happened. Decisions were made , probably in my best interests , behind my back. I was not included in the process of making the decisions and was left feeling betrayed. I guess the experience of being handed off to Trevor was activated as soon as I was told they were sending me away , tomorrow.

I left Y.D.C. as soon as breakfast was finished. The Sherriff’s department deals with all of the moving around with prisoners , whether it is adults or youths. So I was hand cuffed and shackled and placed in the back of a Sherriff’s van. We made a quick pit stop in Nanaimo at Brannen Lake Facility. We ate a lunch there. There were some adults in one section of the van and the youths were kept in the back. At Brannen Lake all the adults got out and after lunch it was just three of us going up to Campbell River to Lake View Camp.

The drive in the Sherriff’s Van was uncomfortable and hot. As it usually is when you place 3 – 12 people in a cage , that is almost unescapable and drive them around for a few hours. So the break at Brannen Lake was a chance for us to decompress from the 2 or 3 hour drive from Victoria. We were placed into one of the holding tanks inside the Facility. After being feed we were re-cuffed and placed back into the Van. I could not help myself but feel betrayed. Did not understand what I did that was so wrong ‘ Y.D.C. no longer wanted me.

I knew this was the last stretch of the ride and the next stop would be at the camp. I started to wonder how I was going to be able to get out of the camp. Where was I going to go , once I got out. I asked the other two people if they knew anything about where we were going and more important , if they knew anything in regards to what is like there. I was surprised when I found out they were both happy to be going there. We were not really locked up, ever. Except at night , inside one of the six cabins. We would all be assigned a cabin to live in until our release dates. Asides from that it is just a work camp where we make improvements to the land around the camp.

They also explained there are other projects that are made up just to keep us busy. I was told the worse example they knew of was digging two really big holes and taking dirt from the first hole to fill in the second. I was told this rarely happened and it was usually only done for punishment. I made sure to understand where the Van was going and tried to take in everything I could through the limited vision we had from the two small windows at the back of the Van.

My intensity for understanding was in overdrive. We were driving down a logging road for a very long time. I believe it might of been 20 – 30 minutes and then we took a left. One of the other two boys stated this was the access road and we are almost there. Within 10 minutes we pulled into Lake View Camp. When we first pulled into the camp’s area you could see there was an obvious structure to the camp.

The main cabin ( or the Office ) faced all the other cabins. They all formed a circle looking in on each other. The Van stopped and we were taken out and the cuffs came off. We were assigned to different cabins and told to walk directly across the camp and that cabin was the Laundry cabin. Grab our supplies for our beds , make them and report back to the office. Try and do this as quickly as you can. We all walked over and grabbed our linen , made our beds and came back to the office. An officer had made sure to give us good wool socks and steel toed shoes. We left our runners in premade holes filling an entire wall inside the Laundry Room.

A different Officer got the three of us to grab shovels and pick axes to work on the root system of a big tree that had fallen. The tree was already cut up and taken away but it was our job to expose the roots so they could be cut and the stump could be removed from the ground. My eyes kept trying to understand the lay of the land and how I was going to get out of here , without getting caught. I saw one of two way. Since the camp is set up at the most eastern edge of the lake , I would either run over the hills behind the camp or run a parallel route beside the access road. I guess I could of tried swimming across the lake but I was guessing they would just use a boat and radios , to catch me. Guiding the trucks to wherever I was headed to shore.

So I guessed my best attempt would be to follow the access road. I was pretty unsure of when the best time would be though so I played my part as a good soldier and dug the dirt away from the stump for the next 2 or three hours. I actually enjoyed watching the progress we made and how a chainsaw guy was required , since we exposed of the roots well enough for it to be cut. It was a little surprising to me how tired I felt after only working for a few hours. I guess sitting around inside a cell , isn’t doing yourself any favors for cardio though. So I was not shocked but I was surprised that I enjoyed it.

I was still trying to understand the system and lay of the land , so I knew I was not going to be leaving on my first day. I still did not feel like I had got to know all the variables I needed to know to even have a half hearted attempt at running away. If everyday was like this first day , then I thought there was probably no way of getting away because that guard was watching us the entire time. So maybe once I get to spend some time in my cabin , maybe I can take off at night.

I tried to be very casual with my questions to different prisoners , in regards to the routine. I wanted to know if there were dogs on the premises or if it was super relaxed. I was told that there are a lot less guards at night , compared to the day but we are locked into the cabins and there are alarms on the windows but they are only turned on at night. I was not sure I wanted to risk the alarms on the windows so I told myself to give it the night and I see if any opportunities pop up tomorrow.

The next day at breakfast we were all told after we finish eating we will have a half hour until our work day starts. Most of the boys had specific jobs and the ones that did not will be on the new dock that is being constructed down on the edge of the lake. I knew I did not have any specific job so I was required to go down to the edge of the lake. Well didn’t this seem like some kind of sign. That would suit me perfectly.

After eating we grabbed our boots and walked down to the edge of the lake. They were building a wide dirt path from the edge of our campsite down to the water. There was a wide variety of ferns that needed to be uprooted in order for us to lay down the dirt need to make a wide , flat path. At the water wood was piled to construct a plank and it would go out to the floating wharf. I was a little surprised at the size of these ferns and other bushes growing around the entire edge of the Lake. I eyed up how far it would be to get around the edge of the lake.

It looked to be a couple hundred feet to get to where the end of the lake ended. I guessed it was a good bet that the size of the ferns would give me great cover, if I kept as low to the ground as possible. Everything was adding up and if I was serious about running away, I believed at the time it was my best shot. I waited to be the last one to leave , to go to lunch. I walked back with the only guard that was watching us. I was also surprised there was only one guard watching seven or eight guys.

He walked up to the dinning hall cabin with me. I knew there was no one down at the edge of the lake right now since the guard I walked up with , grabbed a cup of coffee and sat down. I was constantly trying to figure out what the routine was and when would be my best time to go. As I walked into the dinning hall and into the line-up to get my tray of food , I made up my mind that now seemed to be good timing to make a run for it , freedom.

I sat down with my food but did not touch a single thing. I just wanted to wait a minute or two to give the appearance , I was being normal. Like everyone else. Did not want to draw any attention to myself from the staff. I wanted everything appear to be normal. After a minute I got up and simple dumped my meal in the big garbage can that was there for any of the waste , from all the other prisoners. The guard saw me do this and asked if I was ok?

I told him I did not feel great and really was not wanting to eat any food. I asked him if it was ok for me to lay down on my bed until everyone was finished eating. He seemed a little surprised by me asking if it was ok to lay down until we were to go back to work. He almost laughed but in a serious tone said , of course. I have to admit I did play it up a bit and pretended that I felt sick. Hoping to deflect from the fact I did not eat any of my food.

I left the Dinning room and walked straight to my cabin. As I was almost to the cabin I casually looked back to see if I was being watched. I wasn’t so I did not go inside but along the side of the cabin to the back of it. Once at the back I did a serious scan of the area between me and the edge of the lake. My stomach had the accustomed feeling of butterflies in my belly. I had these feelings numerous times , just before I was to do a score , or crime. I also got them any time I knew I had to fight someone. That adrenaline rush kicks in and your senses become heightened. Time almost slows down because your mind is processing so much information at once.

It gives me an abundance of confidence and a no fear mentality. I did not want to run at this point in case someone I was not aware of was watching what I was doing. I tried to casually walk back down to where I had been working. Once I got back down there I took another look around to see if a guard was coming down towards me. I saw no one and made my move towards the ferns , that lined all the ways around the lake. I crunched my upper body down as low to the ground as I could and started to run. I could feel my head being hit by the tops of the ferns.

I was acutely aware of my surroundings and heard no feet running after me or heard any voices yelling in my general direction , to stop. Fear and anxiety was pumping through me and the ever present adrenaline pushed me to move faster. As I broke through the ferns and reached the other side of the lake , it was open ground between me and freedom. I could taste the freedom with every step I took.

As a child I enjoyed long distance running. I pushed my pace even faster once I was able to stand up straight. I did not take breaks on my way back to the logging road. I was hoping to get to the other side of that logging road , the Sherriff’s Van had brought us down , before the police were able to respond. Inside I had an internal clock counting and I knew without a doubt in my mind that I was going to be noticed as missing. I was unsure of how much time I had to play with before counter measures were put in place to stop my ability to escape.

I must of run for at least 20 – 30 minutes before I reached the road. The only problem was I was seeing red and blue flashing lights through the forest before I actually got real close. I knew only too well they were police lights. My plan had not been sound and they responded a lot quicker than I thought they would. I should of assumed I would be noticed right away. Maybe someone even saw me running but just did not say anything , so they would not tip their hand. Either way I knew my original plan was shot to shit and time was not on my side.

I remember when I was running through the forest coming over a hill and this massive tree trunk that was on the top of that hill. I quickly turned around and ran back to that tree. It only took a few minutes and I found the tree without a problem. My new plan was to climb to the top of the tree and use an “Indian Scout” technique to spot a different part of the road the Van took in. Once I spot the road I would also set land marks , so I don’t get off track or lost.

I was extremely nervous and a little scared. I started to climb this massive tree like I had done so many times in my youth. Of course it was not the same tree but my confidence was extremely high I could make the climb with no problem. I had to get close to the top so I could see over the other trees in the surrounding area. As I started the climb , I tried to do it as quick as I could. If the police had brought dogs , I may not have a lot of time. I guess My adrenaline had given me another boost because before to long I was starting to near the top.

I was a long way up and I still recall the nervousness I felt. Like a child feels when they ride a bike for the first time. I scanned the outlining area to see if I was high enough. To see if I could see where the road travelled out , towards civilization. Towards my freedom. I knew for a fact I was in trouble and that if I was caught I would be judged and looked down upon. Part of me just wanted to be left alone , where as another part knew I was not old enough , or had enough life experience , to be able to continue through life on my own.

I tried to stay focused on getting away. I was not able to clearly see the logging road we had travelled down , to the dirt road that bought us to this camp. So I continued to climb higher but I was starting to get real close to the top of this tree. There was only another 50 or 60 feet to go. I continued up about half that distance and tried to see the logging road , again. The view was amazing. It was a real life panoramic view of nature. I was clearly above the rest of the trees.

My heart pumping the blood so hard I could hear it through my ears. At least that is what it felt like. I definitely had a clear view of the area but I willed myself up just a little further. So I knew I had the best possible vantage point from this tree. It worked. I could faintly see the absence of trees where the logging road led in. I also saw a couple small sections of the hard dirt road that brought us in. I judged the angle of the road from where I was and set a couple landmarks in my mind so I would stay on course. Once I was back on the ground. If I ran into a problem , I could always climb another tree.

I listened intensely to gauge if I could hear any activity below me. Of course I was scared they had somehow discovered I was up this tree. There was no noises that I could hear and I was happy about that. I felt like I was safe from the guards and the police. I then started to become acutely aware of my surroundings. I could feel the top of this tree swaying in the wind. I could actually feel the tree moving back and forth as the breeze came and then slowed down.

I then felt scared out of my mind when I realized I had climbed to far up. This part of the tree was rotten. It did not have the same color as a live tree. This was a massive cedar tree and I knew for sure it was alive but up at the top it was dying , if not completely dead. I had acquired the road and set my landmarks so it is time to get onto firm ground. I slowly started to climb back down. In my mind I was freaking out , just a little bit , since I had actually fallen out of trees before. It was not because it was rotten but because I was unwise in picking the wrong branches to place my weight.

I was not going to make that mistake again. I believe this was the highest I had ever been in a tree. It must of been around a half hour ago that I saw a least a couple of cop cars and their infamous blue and red lights. Maybe even a little more time than that. I did not have a watch and did not really care , not at that time. I just wanted to get back down to the ground safely. I was amazed I did not notice how degraded this part of the tree was as I came up.

It is amazing how quickly things can change for a person when they are not fully aware of their surroundings. I put myself in this predicament and will get myself out of it. I either will or I will die trying. I say that statement with a little tongue in cheek mentality. No one really wants to die so when someone says they are willing to die trying , it is usually a lie. I was up over two hundred feet in the rotten part of this cedar tree and if I could only get down 40 or 50 feet , I should be ok.

I continued a very slow pace down. Trying to be methodical in where I placed my weight and trying to evaluate the best route down. As I got down another 20 feet or so I started to become a little less careful because the branches were getting a little bigger down here. I was holding onto two different branches and slowly took my legs off of one branch and placed them on another , a little further down. When I felt it was stable , I started my move my hands to two more different branches for stability , so I could repeat the process with my legs.

When I went to shift my left leg from the one it was on , to another , the branch my right leg was on suddenly snapped and no longer supported my weight. I still had both of my hands on two different branches but as all my body weight shifted onto them , they snapped at the same time. I could not believe my luck! I no longer had any grasp on the tree.

I started to free fall down. I instinctually grasped the tree in a bear hug , to stop myself from falling. It did not bring me to a stop but my head bounce off the body of the tree. I remember two distinct hits and on the second one , I almost blacked out. This was not going to work. Panic was flowing through me and my body was not able to react to all the thoughts going through my head. AS I was falling straight down I noticed a branch on my left side that I was going to fall past. I brought out my left arm , to catch the branch in the nook of my arm , between bicep and forearm. I succeeded but the branch did not stop my fall , it snapped. i tried again with my right arm but that branch also snapped !

I honestly could not believe this was actually happening. If I could not stop my momentum I was probably going to die. As I continued to fall I noticed a bigger branch on my left so with all of my energy and will left , I prepared to catch this branch. I was so scared it would support me but I would not be able to keep a grip on it. I knew my motion was going to keep me falling. I had no other options but to prepare my body to somehow stop the pendulum motion and keep a hold on that branch.

The branch contacted my arm right where I hoped it would and I felt the branch bounce as it held my body weight. I was nowhere close to being secure but as long as I could stay in contact with this branch , I had a chance at living. As my body jerked with the jolt of being stopped with this branch , I fought with all my might to not let the arm swing. Only my left arm was in contact with the tree and I somehow had to get other body parts attached as well. There was no time to think.

As the branch bounced my body weight and my force came down upon it again , the branch snapped. Again I was free falling. I did not know what else to do. As I glanced from the branch that broke , downwards , I could see my right foot was coming down onto a large branch. I had no real control of my body and did know how I was supposed to manipulate this situation to my advantage. My foot landed firmly on the branch and it kind of held my weight. I had no control though , so my momentum stopped going down and I started falling backwards. This contact propelled me out of the tree.

Now I was literally freefalling to the ground. I remember having thoughts as I fell. I thought this was the greatest feeling I had ever felt. That I should definitely go skydiving at some point in my life. Then I thought OH MY GOD , I AM GOING TO HIT THE. . . . .

I remember not finishing the thought and wondering if the back of my head is going to smash open or if this fall will break my neck and I’ll be dead instantly. I hit the ground with a tremendous amount of energy and everything went black for just a second. When I opened my eyes I was back in the air flying into another tree! I had not control and was simply a spectator along for the ride. I remember hitting the tree trunk square and tried to will my limbs to grab ahold of this much smaller tree.

My body was not being controlled by my mind at that point and I was bound by the laws of gravity. I bounced from that tree out into a different direction. I was propelled back towards the tree I had fallen from. I had no idea of the distance travelled. I felt branches floating down upon me for a few seconds. I was completely shocked and amazed that I was still alive ! I was trying to process how I lived from that fall and was awake ? Every kind of processing was going through my mind when I came to a startling conclusion. I was not able to breathe.

I could not push air out or bring it in. I just fell like 200 feet out of a tree and now I’m going to die because I can not take a breath ? Really !?! I tried with every ounce of energy to pull some air in but it just would not happen. I felt a coldness descend over me and felt my vision fading. It literally felt like the lights were going out. I closed my eyes to die. I did not want my mom to come identify the body and her seeing me with my eyes bugged out of my sockets.

I thought I was ready to embrace my death. When I closed my eyes , my will screamed inside my head , BREATHE !!! It was not a request , it was life or death. I could feel the strength I had was almost exhausted but I tried to take a breathe in. Nothing. I knew I did not have any more time and this did not make any sense. Then I had a simple thought. If you can not take a breath in , then try pushing it out. The coldness and blackness was on me and with the last ditch efforts of a dying man I tried to push some air out.

The faintest whisper of air was released. I still could not breathe in so I tried to push a little more out. somewhere between losing consciousness and my last ditch efforts I was able to take a small amount of breath in. It was so hard and difficult. They were by no means large intakes of air but I started to get a small , very painfilled rhythm going and then the lights went out. When I opened my eyes again all I could feel was intense pain in my left side. I tried to move but blacked out again.

This time it seemed for only a short time. So I very slowly moved my left arm to my side, where I found myself laying on a branch. I knew if I moved to quickly I might black out again. So I slowly got a small rocking motion going and every time the left side of my body rocked up I pulled on the branch. As soon as I was able to get the branch out from underneath me , I blacked out again.

This time when I awoke , things had changed. There was now shadows all around me. The sun was starting to go down. I knew I was an injured animal and prey would love to find a free meal. I was pretty happy to be alive but how bad had I hurt my self. Once I got myself to my feet , which was not easy , it was obvious to me that there was no way I could walk without a cane of some sort. So I grabbed a bigger branch from the ground and used it as a crutch. I also had to undo the button on my pants and put my right thumb through a belt loop , to make any forward progress. I undid the button so I could stabilize my lower back. It was my belief I had in some way broke the middle of my back.

It was a brutal journey to find my way back to camp. I will not take you through that trip but it was anything but easy. I finally made it back into the camp around 10:30 pm. I immediately walked into the office. I remember hearing cat calls from some of the other prisoners. What is the matter , are you scared of the dark? I ignored the teasing and fought to make my way through the office doors.

The sole guard who was seated behind a desk asked me what I wanted. Why are you in this office. I stated my name and told him I had escaped at lunch time today. I was here to turn myself in and I believed I needed medical attention. I was under the belief I broke my back. He scoffed at the remark and simple said , that there is no way you could be walking if you broke your back. He jumped up from his desk to make sure I was here to stay.

He then took a deeper look at my condition and stopped. He seen that I was soaking wet from head to toe. I had nearly drowned twice while getting through a creek , to get to the access road. There was a small pond that was feed and drained by a creek on both sides. I did not have the strength to simple walk through the small creeks , so I went to the inner edge creek and let myself fall forward to get to the other side. I repeated the process on the other side of the pond , so I could crawl up the bank , to finally be on the access road.

The first time I let myself fall forward I actually pushed off while falling down. The creek was narrow but about a foot and a half deep with fast running water. I knew if I had to swim , I would probably die. It was only 3 1/2 feet across , which was doable for a person who had control of their body but I did not meet that criteria. I passed out when I landed on the other side. When I awoke my body was floating at an angle going with the stream. My head and shoulders were firmly on the other side. i pulled at the grass and plants to get myself out of the water.

The other side was out flowing and was not as deep but I had to perform the same ritual. All I wanted was to get to someone who would help me get medical attention. I passed out after I crawled up the slope and laid in the middle of the access road. Hoping a car would drive me in so I did not have to walk anymore. Since that did not happened I willed myself to get to the camp. I spent nearly 5 hours walking back to the camp. The guard saw my clothes were shredded , I was covered in blood and was not able walk properly. He stated he wanted me to walk into one of the two holding cells to take off my clothes.

I said ok but I do not think I’ll be able to take my clothes off. I believe I have a broken back. As per usual when you talk back to a guard they get pissed off. He did not appreciate a criminal talking back to him , at all. He raised his voice and repeated himself. I said nothing more and walked into the cell. It felt like there was a fire in the middle of my back and every breath hurt , whether it was an in or out. So much pain. I did not have the ability to sit on the floor so I pulled my feet out of my shoes and placed myself into the corner to use the angles to my advantage , so I could slide myself down to the floor.

The guard had left me when I entered the cell. When he got back I had just gotten myself down to the floor. No one was there to offer help and there was a fear within me at just how brutal this was going to be on me. He was not happy I was not out of the wet clothes.

Barked at me to take off those soaking wet socks. I was not able to angle myself in any way and could barely reach the socks. One at a time I tried to take them off. I had the tip of one sock with my fingertips but was not able to pull it from my foot. When you have really wet socks and your trying to take them off , one would work from the high ankle and slide the sock over the heel. It was the best method , only I could not angle my body to reach my upper ankle. I pulled as hard as I could but it was stuck on my heel and would take more force to remove.

The guard got mad and snapped at me to hurry up. Fear propelled me to give a harder pull. I blacked out for about the tenth time today. When I woke from this latest bout , there was a doctor in the room with me. I was relieved that a professional was here at last. This man would surely recognize what was wrong with me. He asked me matter of fact , where does it hurt on your body. I replied that the middle of my back. I told him I think I broke it. By now there ere 3 or 4 guards and the doctor in the office.

I had no idea how long I had been asleep but was grateful there was a doctor present. Since I was already on my back he asked if it would be ok to turn me on my side. I hesitated but I told him I think so , ya. He was helpful and did not make me perform the task by myself. He was a little harsh but not malicious or mean. He started near the back of my head and ran his fingers over my spine. When he reached the top of my shoulders he gave a push to the spine. It hurt but not so much I screamed out. I immediately told him to please not push that hard in the middle of my back. He did not say a word but continued his examination.

He went from the top of my spine , to the bottom and again ran his fingertips up my vertebrae. When he got to my lower back from my ass he again gave a hard push. I started to beg with this doctor. PLEASE , do not push on the middle of my back like that , please ! I could not help myself since I knew what experience I had gone through , i pleaded and begged as he went through his ritual of running his fingers over my spine until he got to the middle of my back and gave another hard push.

I was crying and begging but there was no compassion from this man who swore an oath to not harm people and be compassionate in his duties. I blacked out , again and must of been out for awhile. Now there were 7 or 8 people outside the cell I was in. There was no one inside the cell with me and the door was left wide open. I could hear a small argument between the doctor and the guards. The doctor stated that he is bound to write a report of what happened and his recommendation to send me to the Hospital.

The guards were also talking about how they should cover this up and how they should just throw me into segregation and transfer me out immediately. The doctor spoke over top of their conversation and repeated that he is writing a report and stating he told everyone in the room his recommendation is to take the kid to the Hospital. I guess someone noticed I had woken up and told everyone that I was awake.

They all stopped talking for a minute and started to enquire if anyone is interested in driving out to the Hospital. No one volunteered but it seemed obvious that someone had to take me out there. I was delighted with the fact I might actually get the help I desperately needed. The guards were talking about hand cuffs , waist bands and shackles as they pulled me up from the floor and led me into the middle of their office. Tears were streaming down my face involuntarily , partly because I was embarrassed but also because of the brutal nature of torture I just endured.

When people are in a position of power sometimes words like simple logic and compassion , just fade away. They develop a superior complex which makes them believe they can do whatever they think is right and that they do not or can not do anything that is wrong. When a child looks like he just crawled out of a sewer and is covered in blood and can not walk properly , a small amount of compassion can stop a lot of ignorant and unnecessary cruelty. In my mind the system let me down and I carried a grudge against the entire system for a very long time.

There was an older guard who stood by and was simple watching everything that was happening. He spoke directly to me and everyone in the room went quiet. He looked me straight in the eyes and asked me one question. “If I drive you to the Hospital , are you going to try and run on me ?”. Without looking away and appreciating this man showing an ounce of courtesy to me , I replied ” No I give you my word , I will not”

Just like that all the fuss over me was finished. When we got to the Hospital I was forced to wait a half hour before anyone could see me. I was asked to sit down in one of the big chairs close to the emergency exam room. It was next to impossible to sit. My back was swollen and damaged to some extent and sitting was next to impossible. As I struggled to get myself into the seat a doctor was walking past me. He stopped and kind of evaluated the situation. Matter of fact he asked me , you can’t sit down can you ? Tears streamed down my face and It felt like a frog was in my throat . I was able to embarrassingly state the obvious and whispered out the word “No !”

The doctor knew from the look on my face and through body positioning alone that I had serious injuries and he did not hesitate for a second. He called for two nurses and a gurney , stat. Three people lifted me onto the gurney and it felt effortless. They were my first hero’s that entered my life just when I needed them. The doctor ran his fingers over my spine and it was comparable to the touch of a feather.

He issued more commands and suddenly blood was being drawn and I needed to pee in a cup. After these were done I was told I may have to be rushed into the operating room but first we need to go to the X-Ray room. He asked how I got injured and I told him the story of running away from the camp , seeing the police and climbing the tree. He asked me if I could guess how far I fell and I said maybe a couple telephone polls tall.

The guard got very angry when the doctor was first wheeling my away from Emergency Room. He raised his voice to the doctor and stated with authority that that boy is my responsibility and is not going to leave my sight. The doctor in a calm tone stated that I was his patient now and I am not going anywhere for at least a couple of months and if he does not like those answers , the doctor will have him forcefully removed from the Hospital. He then stated to the guard to have a GOOD NIGHT.

I was so proud and happy to hear those words being stated to a guard who was trying to throw his Authority around. I never did see that guard again. It turned out that I did not need to be operated on. I did have four broken ribs on the left side and two more on the right. I also had a severe concussion and three compressed vertebrae. I was in the Hospital for 3 months and needed to wear a back brace for a year.

It had turned out that my freefall from the tree had me falling with my feet and hands high in the air above my head and the only reason I survived the 200 foot fall is because I landed on a six foot high cedar stump that I compressed three feet into the ground. That rotten stump broke my fall and dispersed most of the energy. Of course I never walked away unhurt but I am alive and all the wiser for it.