HERRIMAN, Utah — A Herriman man is learning how to live again — from the abdomen up.
Mike Ramirez got into a serious crash at the Jordan River Off-Highway Vehicle State Park on April 26.
Some may see it as an extreme sport, but to Mike, motocross has become a family tradition.
“Honestly, when I was a kid, all I wanted to do was ride a dirt bike,” he said.
His wife Jami and son Axl are all in on kicking up the dust.
“We’ve been doing that now since he was three years old,” Mike said, pointing to his now-seven-year-old Axl.
“I’ve gotten calls before that one of them got hurt on the track — but it’s never been so severe,” said Jami.
That was until a call two weeks ago that left her with one overwhelming emotion: “Fear.” Mike was on the other line.
“I just crashed, I’m alive, everything’s good,” Mike said. “We’re waiting for the ambulance to come.”
He said a boy named Laken watched as he took a downhill big double jump at the Jordan River OHV Center and came up short.
“He rolled me over and he said," Do you want me to uncross your legs?” said Mike. “And I said 'No, I can do that.' And you know, I tried to do it and I couldn’t.”
Mike had broken his back, and he realized he couldn’t feel from his stomach down.
“He was just telling me, ‘You’re going to be okay. No worries, don’t be scared,'” Mike said of Laken, who held his hand the whole time he laid on the dirt track.
“We got him into surgery, got him back out,” Jami said. “But the doctors were still confident that he would not walk again.”
That surgery fused his spine from T-3 to T-9, and in the weeks since, he’s been living his new life at Intermountain Medical Center.
“It’s awesome to see the progress that he’s made, moving more and needing less support,” said one of his therapists.
But Mike’s strongest attribute has been his attitude. Upon completing one of his bodyweight exercises, he joked about eating his Wheaties in the morning.
His therapists say the positivity has been infectious: “It’s kind of radiated beyond you and helped motivate other patients.”
It’s taken so much from him at the moment, but Mike is determined to return to the track to ride his dirt bike again.
“If you really think about it, it’s just a little bump in an entire journey,” said Axl.
“Just don’t give up,” said Mike. “Don’t be afraid to do what you love. Don’t stop doing what you love because something happens.”
Axl raced at the Jordan River park just a few days later and his parents say they had no second thoughts — again, they don’t want him to fear doing what he loves.
A GoFundMe is up to support the Ramirez family and has raised more than $40,000 as of May 12. If you’d like to help, you can click here.
