Biography: Eric "Radio" Redmon (1987-present)

Eric was born on January 20, 2007 in Commerce, Georgia.  Commerce is a very small town where everyone knows everyone and genuinely cares about everyone.  High school football is everything in Commerce, and growing up Eric could not wait until he could play football for the Commerce Tigers.  The time finally came, and Eric really enjoyed his high school sports.  He participated in football, golf, and wrestling.  His sophomore year he placed 5th in the state in the 145 pound wrestling weight class.  Life was great for Eric.

On June 12, 2003 Eric's life was changed forever.  Eric was in a horrible car accident in which he lost control of his Ford Explorer and flipped it several times.  Eric was immediately life-flighted to Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia.  At Grady, Eric was rushed into emergency surgery to repair his collapsed lungs and internal bleeding.  Following the surgery, he was in a coma for two and a half weeks.  The doctors informed the Redmon family that Eric had incurred a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI).  During the accident, it seemed that Eric's brain was deprived of blood and oxygen for less than a second and his brain had been juggled around in his skull; these two things had caused Eric's brain to swell.  At that point it was uncertain what type of recovery Eric would be able to make.

After three weeks at Grady, Eric was transferred to Children's Healthcare of Atlanta at Scottish Rite.  At this point, Eric was starting to come out of his coma, but was still at a lower level of consciousness and had no control over his body.  At Scottish Rite, Eric spent the next two months in therapy everyday trying to learn everything all over again.  After two months had passed, the doctors told the Redmons to take Eric home; they thought Eric would progress more in his own environment.  Two days after coming home, Eric spoke for the first time since his accident, but the road to recovery had just begun.  While at home, Eric had therapists and teachers come to his house everyday to continue teaching him everything he had lost because of the accident. 

After being home for a while, the doctors decided it was time to bring Eric back to Scottish Rite for more intensive therapy.  This time Eric entered into the Day Rehab program.  At this point Eric was in a wheel chair, and the primary goal was getting Eric back in school.  While in Day Rehab, Eric and his family stayed at the Ronald McDonald House in Atlanta during the week, and the family would go home on the weekends.  In March 2004, Eric graduated from Day Rehab.  Eric was now able to walk with a walker and effectively communicate with others.  Eric was slowly, but surely becoming his old self again, and is vibrant personality was coming back more and more everyday. 

Upon leaving the Day Rehab program, Eric was able to return to Commerce High School.  Eric had an assistant that helped him during the school day, and in the afternoons, Eric continued his therapy at home.  One of Eric's biggest challenges with school was his short-term memory; the accident had greatly impaired Eric's ability to remember things short-term.  However, with much hard work and help from his teachers and friends, Eric was able to graduate with his class on May 20, 2005. 

In the years since Eric's high school graduation, he has continued to gain his life back with a lot of determination and faith in God.  In July 2006, Eric had surgery to implant a Baclofen pump.  This pump releases medicine into Eric body at a continuous rate to help Eric control his "spastic" movements.  Since the surgery, Eric is walking 80% of the time with a cane.  He continues with therapy daily, and he is determined to walk with no form of assistance one day.  Eric now enjoys sharing his testimony with different groups; he has shared with Fellowship of Christian Athletes groups, youth groups, and many more.  He also helps out at fundraisers for Children's Healthcare of Atlanta and the Ronald McDonald House.  Eric wants to share with everyone how is life was changed within the blink of an eye and therefore how important a personal relationship with Jesus Christ is.  Eric is determined to gain his life back and fulfill his life goals, but most importantly, he wants God to use him to reach out to others.