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Alex Cabrero Reporting A Utah high school athlete had a terrible run-in with a javelin.
He was flown to a hospital a couple of weeks ago after the spear stuck in his head. Now he's just fine and shared his story and x-rays with us.
Four inches doesn't seem like a whole lot. But it is a lot if it's a javelin buried in your brain. Panguitch's Taylor Bremner knows this probably better than anyone.
For every picture Jennifer Bremner has of her children, there's a good story.
Jennifer Bremner: "There's always joking going on in our family."
But recent pictures of her son, words can barely explain.
Jennifer Bremner: "That was a hard position to see him in."
Just two weeks after 15-year-old Taylor Bremner had a javelin cracked through his skull, he's doing much better.
Taylor Bremner: "I'm doing awesome right now. It's an amazing thing."
Doctors told his family he'll be okay.
The javelin, which dug four inches into his brain, didn't do any major damage.
Taylor Bremner: "I thought my life was over with."
Bremner remembers throwing a javelin at Panguitch High School that day. He ran to get it and tripped. It went right through his eye.
Taylor Bremner: "All I can remember is the grinding noise when I was pulling it out."
His x-rays show the gap.
Jennifer Bremner: "You can see the break in the cranium."
The javelin sliced through the parts of the brain that control personality, judgment and movement, but it didn't affect him.
Jennifer Bremner: "The optic nerve was stretched so tight, and the eye was protruding out."
Taylor still plans on playing sports next year. In fact, on the very field where he was injured, he plans on throwing the javelin.
Taylor Bremner: "I should be able to do a lot more sports as soon as I can recover."
It might be a year, but at least it's possible.
Jennifer Bremner: "We couldn't be happier. We're so, so, so blessed."
Taylor wants to thank everyone who sent him cards and prayed for him. He'd like to pay them back by winning a state title in javelin.
With javelins, discus and shot put, many people might think injuries like this are common. They are not.
The Journal of Athletic Training started counting track and field injuries in the early 1980s and by 1999, there had been 10 deaths and eight injuries that led to permanent disability.
In the same time, football more than tripled that number.
