Crash survivor's life speaks of forgiveness, love


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TOOELE — Ryan Giles hasn't spoken a full sentence in nearly 17 years. But his example of forgiveness and his love of life speaks volumes.

In the early morning hours, if the weather is good, Giles walks to work. For 10 years he has worked at Macey's in Tooele, sometimes gathering carts, other times cutting down boxes.

On the store room floor, Giles is just like the other employees except he doesn't talk, at least not like everyone else.

On Aug. 8, 1996, he and his friend Spencer Parrott were on their way to an indoor soccer game when they were t-boned just off I-215 and Redwood Road. Family said it was a case of road rage. Parrott was killed instantly. Giles nearly died and was in a coma for four months.

His mother, Pamela Giles, said, "There are stages to a coma. You just don't pop out, like on TV. So he came back in little stages."

Giles suffered a traumatic brain injury in the crash. And though he looked like the same kid, things had changed.

"He couldn't remember his laugh, so we tried different things. He'd sit down at the piano and sit there, and he couldn't remember how to play," Pamela said.

As a result of the crash Giles lost sight in one eye, but more noticeably, he also lost his ability to verbally communicate words.

His father, Jack Giles, said, "We play charades, Ryan-ese, and sometimes it's hard to get a point across both ways. Other times he knows what we're trying to tell him, and vice-versa."

Pam said, "We did so much therapy. It's hard. You want to have hope but you need to know when it's time to take what you have and be happy."

And that's what Ryan is -- happy.

Crash survivor's life speaks of forgiveness, love

"I think he's really thankful," Jack said, "that he's alive. He understands what he went through and he's just really thankful."

At the Tooele Macey's, those who work with Ryan Giles know his story and look forward to their time with him.

A co-worker named Diane said, "It brightens my day. I'm thinking when it is 7 o'clock we can talk about football or how his weekend went."

But not everyone knows Giles' story and he's often gets strange looks or even is overlooked by customers. But he tries not to let it bother him.

Pam asked him if he is mad at them. He shook his head no and indicated that he understands.

Once a teen with a bright future in soccer, Giles is now a different kind of star: A shining example of hard work, love, and happiness. A dedicated employee at a grocery store, and a huge Steelers fan.

If there is one thing Ryan Giles wants people to know about him it's one word, carefully written on a piece of paper: forgiveness.

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