New father of twins fighting to reverse his paralysis

Family at Ritter home while dad in Craig Hospital

Katie Kerwin Mccrimmon, Rocky Mountain News

Published May 26, 2007 at midnight

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ENGLEWOOD - Scott Slade has never gotten to hug his twin baby daughters. Instead, he must make do with a midair kiss when his wife holds one of the girls to his lips.

Stuck flat on his back at Craig Hospital after suddenly becoming a quadriplegic in January, Slade, 44, stares up at several photos of his chubby- cheeked daughters - Stephanie and Samantha - that hang on the ceiling over his bed. A ventilator breathes for him, and this once avid golfer no longer can move anything below his head.

"I so looked forward to becoming a dad, to picking up the babies. Now I may never be able to play with them," Slade said Friday as a single tear slipped down his cheek.

His desire to cradle the twins almost kills him and simultaneously fires his determination to recover.

Slade and his family hope for a miraculous reversal of his paralysis. But even if he never regains the power of his arms and legs, the Durango native is determined to be a great dad and husband.

"I will tell my girls that whatever I could do, it was all geared toward being stronger. I need to play with them. I need to be with them."

A life-changing event

Two days before the girls were born Jan. 4, Slade was at his San Diego home with his wife, Kathy, when he suddenly collapsed. A powerful bacterial infection had overtaken his body. Doctors initially told his wife that he might not survive.

The stress of her husband's illness sent Kathy Slade into labor five weeks early. She and her husband had worked so hard to prepare for the babies' birth. Scott knew the breathing patterns as well as she did. But Kathy Slade would have to face the biggest day of her life without her husband as he lay in a different San Diego hospital fighting for his life.

"It was the worst and the best week of my life," Kathy Slade said.

The birth went well. The babies were a little more than 4 pounds each, but they were healthy. Kathy recovered from the birth and went to her husband's bed to deliver the good news. Within a couple of days, the biggest shock of her life slammed her.

The infection had migrated into Slade's spinal column and left him a quadriplegic. He spent 10 weeks in intensive care in San Diego, then in early May transferred to Craig Hospital to begin his rehabilitation.

Raised on a ranch outside Durango, Slade was a star student and athlete. At age 11, he suffered the first big shock of his life when all his hair started falling out. He had alopecia areata, a condition that prevented him from keeping any hair on his body. In the 1970s, it was far from hip to be a baldy. But Slade handled the challenge with his characteristic sense of humor. He ran for president of the seventh grade and told his classmates to vote for "Kojak Slade."

Slade went on to graduate from Colorado College in 1985. He later earned his MBA from Thunderbird School of Global Management and worked for L.A. Gear in France and Mexico. He met his wife in San Diego and the two were married in 2003.

An electrical engineer who graduated from Pennsylvania State University and earned her MBA in San Diego, Kathy Slade is now managing twins and working for Cricket Communications. She works primarily in San Diego but has been visiting Denver with the girls as often as possible. On a trip this week, she brought her husband an early Father's Day gift, a book of photos that recounts all the big moments of their lives.

A temporary home

While Slade faces at least four more months of rehabilitation at Craig Hospital, his family has enjoyed some unexpected hospitality. During their long-term stay in Denver, they are staying free of charge at Gov. Bill Ritter's home a few blocks away from Craig. The large home is fully furnished with all the Ritters' personal items and the family has made arrangements to lease it below-market to families of Craig patients. There is room for Kathy Slade and the girls when they are in town, along with Scott's mother, sister and her two children.

Elaine Slade, Scott's mom, said that first lady Jeannie Ritter frequently stops by to see if she can do anything or introduce the Slades to the neighbors.

"It's incredible," Elaine Slade said. "Craig is just phenomenal at all they do for patients and families."

Scott Slade hopes they'll have phenomenal results for him, too. He is learning to accept tiny improvements. He can blow into a straw to manipulate a television over his bed and is learning to move the mouse on his laptop.

The family eventually must battle with huge expenses in the future including installing an elevator in their 2-story home, purchasing a special van and if possible, Slade hopes to purchase a voice-activated program that would allow him to do once-simple things such as turning lights on and off.

Scott Slade tries to focus on what he does have.

"At least I can talk. I have my eyes. I'm alive to see my babies."

Stephanie has her dad's cheeks. Samantha has his eyes. And, they're both bald, just like him.

Slade's unrelenting sense of humor has made him the favorite patient at Craig.

"I want to actively participate with the girls. I can't do a whole heck of a lot, but I can give orders."

Kathy Slade is praying that her husband will soon bounce back in a bigger way.

"My mom keeps saying, 'All three of them are going to walk at the same time.' "

How to help

• The Slades are facing several huge expenses and have nearly reached the cap for their catastrophic health insurance coverage.

• To donate, send checks made payable to Slade's sister, Erin Aas, at Bank of Colorado, P.O. Drawer N, Durango, CO, 81302, 1-970-247-5151. Please put "Scott and Kathy Slade Saving Fund" on the memo line.

• For more information about Scott and Kathy Slade and for updates on his condition, please go to scottbslade.com

mccrimmonk@RockyMountainnews.com

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