A traumatic and devastating injury that could have been detrimental to one’s life, ushered in a new, reinvigorated way of living for Godwin Junior Jake Creasy.
Left in a coma for ten days after an accident his sophomore year, Creasey awoke to a question that if answered one way, could alter his life permanently. His accident left him with a twisted ankle, where many nerve and bone cells had been lost.
His doctors promised full recovery, Creasey underwent surgery, spending six months on crutches until he was sent back to the hospital after his chronic infection became active. Supressing the infection, another seven months passed and Creasey was able to walk with a boot for a week.
Unfortunately, his infection arose once more and Creasey became more conflicted with the decision to keep or amputate his leg. “We spent a year doing this, how long do you spend trying to fix something”, said Creasey.
During his recovery time at the hospital, Creasey spent a lot of time in his own mind. “I got to spend a lot of time working on myself because you’re alone in the hospital a lot. You spend a lot of time angry, but you get to a point where you wonder how far being angry will get me, and then how far will accepting and moving on get me.”
Describing himself as rash before the incident, Creasey says that the accident transformed him into a more open-minded and balanced person. “I can’t sit there and force myself to heal, but I can sit there and work on myself,”
Creasey had been fighting a losing battle from the beginning, his leg succumbing to the pressure of the deep-tissue staph infection. The decision was made and Creasey underwent surgery once more, but this time to eliminate a major life setback.
The amputation had become the greatest life alteration in Creasey’s life, shifting the big question of “what will you be able to do to?” to “what won’t you be able to do?”.
During a period before Creasey’s major operation, his father had introduced him to ex NBA player Calvin Duncan, who had asked Creasey what he wanted to do with his injury.
Stationed in the kids ward at VCU, Creasey conversated with a patient who had been isolated in his room due to an open-heart surgery. After Creasey’s departure, he had gotten a call from the hospital asking him to visit the patient.
A light bulb unconsciously clicked in Creasey’s head, and the question Calvin Duncan had for Creasey had been answered. Fortunately for Creasey, he had friends and family to talk to about his conflicts, but many patients leave hospitalization with no therapy in progress.
“Everyone needs to talk to someone”, said Creasey. His goal was to “provide therapy for kids under 18 who have dealt with traumautc surgeries or events that caused hospitalization because the american hospital system does not do that.” Creasey’s goal is to establish a pipeline for hospitals to automatically provide patients with immediate therapeutic treatement.
“Dont be afraid to talk to someone. What happens when you don’t talk to someone is it sits in your head and it muddles and it messes with the way you view everything.”
Creasey saw an issue, and took the initiative to fix it for others after reflecting on his own situation. “I’ve been given a challenge but I’ve been given an opportunity.”
