Scott Slade kept fighting after sudden paralysis

By Katie Kerwin McCrimmon, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Published October 16, 2008 at 12:05 a.m.
Updated October 16, 2008 at 1:13 a.m.

Text size

Photo by The Rocky / 2007

Scott Slade kisses his 41/2-month-old daughter, Stephanie, held by his wife, Kathy, in May of last year.

Mr. Slade grew up on a ranch outside Durango.

More Obituaries

More stories »

Scott Slade, a Colorado native who became a quadriplegic as his twin daughters were born in January 2007 and shared his struggle with the Rocky Mountain News, has died. He was 45.

Mr. Slade had spent five months undergoing treatment at Craig Rehabilitation Hospital in Englewood in 2007. He overcame wildfires, a mold outbreak at his home and repeated infections to return to his beloved wife, Kathy, and his babies in San Diego.

Mr. Slade was about to celebrate his first anniversary of returning home when an infection that traveled into his bloodstream claimed him on Saturday. He was surrounded by friends and family as he died. One of his nurses, who provided round-the-clock care for Mr. Slade, said he seemed more at peace recently. Being home was joyous and sorrowful.

He longed to hug his girls and cook for them. The best he could do was to let the toddlers crawl on his hospital bed and kiss his cheeks. As for gourmet meals, he had to make do with preparing shopping lists and directing other people to do the chopping and stirring for him.

"He was a prisoner in his body and not only could he not feel or move, he also had a lot of pain," said his mother, Elaine Slade, of Hesperus.

Even so, Mr. Slade kept fighting. His death has left family, friends and caretakers devastated.

"We thought we had more time with him," Elaine Slade said. "Our hope was that he would make it until the girls were 5 so they could know him better."

The Slades' twins, Samantha and Stephanie, will turn 2 in January. They were born five weeks early after their mother went into premature labor triggered by the shock of her husband's sudden paralysis. Out of the blue, Mr. Slade had contracted a simple bacterial infection that found its way into his lower back and ultimately spread up his spinal column.

"The biggest regret is that he had to leave his babies. I know he was always ready to leave except for Kathy and the babies," Elaine Slade said.

Mr. Slade was raised on a ranch outside Durango and developed an unwavering sense of humor when a condition called alopecia areata left him bald at age 11. He went on to graduate from Colorado College and earn an MBA from the prestigious Thunderbird School of Global Management in Arizona.

Mr. Slade spoke four languages fluently, and through the course of his career in marketing, he lived in France and later Mexico. He and his wife loved to travel. Mr. Slade studied local recipes wherever he traveled and loved to cook new dishes. An avid golfer, Mr. Slade realized a dream over the summer when he attended the U.S. Open at Torrey Pines, overlooking the Pacific in California, where he and his wife had held their wedding reception five years ago.

"Scott will be remembered as a courageous, loving, patient man who lived life to its fullest and who always turned adversity into something positive," said his sister, Erin Aas. "To know Scott was to love Scott. He loved his family and friends with all his heart. He will be dearly missed."

Mr. Slade is survived by his wife and daughters; his parents, Gilbert and Elaine Slade; and his sister, Erin Aas, of Houston.

Services are being held today at San Raphael Catholic Church in San Diego. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Scott and Kathy Slade Medical Fund: Bank of Colorado, P.O. Drawer N, Durango, CO 81302, 970-247-5151. Please make checks payable to Erin Aas, Trustee. On the memo line, please write "Scott & Kathy Slade Saving Fund."

Subscribe to the Rocky Mountain News