Tweet
Cory Garabedian takes a new step forward
by Tom Vartabedian
http://www.reporter.am/go/article/2012-03-03-cory-garabedian-takes-a-new-step-forward
Published: Saturday March 03, 2012
Garabedian, center, is flanked by Shant Janesian, left, and Ara
Vartanian, as he leaves Rhode Island Hospital.
Providence - Seven weeks after losing a leg in a near-fatal auto
accident Christmas Eve, Cory Garabedian walked out of Rhode Island
Hospital, bent on a new lifestyle.
With stark memories of that horrific mishap still dancing in his head,
the 23-year-old seems determined to put the past behind him --- lost
limb and all.
Plans to check into Dean College and play quarterback on the football
team are being put on hold. So are a lot of other things on
Garabedian's personal agenda. For now, therapy remains the top
priority and learning to walk all over again with an artificial leg.
"If I master the prosthetic, then maybe I'll try and get involved with
sports again, even if it's on the coaching side," he said. "If I
should coach, it will be with the AYF, church or some other Armenian
sports team. I'd like to give back what the Armenian community gave me
growing up."
Words from Cory's Facebook page as he left the hospital are bound to
uplift even the most sympathetic: "Today is the day when my hospital
nightmare ends. I'm going home and never looking back. To everyone,
just take life day by day because you never know when it's going to be
your last."
According to Cory's physicians, he may never have survived such an
ordeal had it not been for his strong physical condition and
uncompromising faith.
His liver, elbow, leg and lugs all underwent treatment. He was on a
respirator and feeding tube for weeks.
"Much of my recovery had to do with the military and the discipline of
how to deal with adversity," he felt.
The dream of someday visiting Armenia, whether in an athletic capacity
earlier or now, still burns in his heart. A trip to that country with
the HMEM was negated when Cory was called to duty in Cuba with the
Armenian National Guard.
Although basketball and track were his forte, the star athlete was
named Most Valuable Player in a Division 4 Super Bowl for his high
school football team before all his AYF and ACYOA friends who showed
up with their Tricolors to cheer him on.
Cory often thought of those halcyon days while recuperating at the
hospital. The fact he was seldom without visitors, whether it was his
peers or clergy from different churches, made the recovery process
more tolerable.
"When I awoke from a coma, I had no idea what had happened to me or
where I was," Garabedian said. "After gaining consciousness, only then
did I realize that part of my right leg was missing. I immediately
looked down and couldn't believe the limb was missing."
Cory said he watched movies and read about people missing body parts,
never thinking he would be victimized.
"Some nights, I'd lay there in tears thinking my life was over," he
said. "After being discharged, I definitely have some huge adjustments
to make like negotiating a shower or a car, even my own bedroom."
Garabedian credited his mom (Leslie) and younger brother (Humberto)
for their ongoing motivation to heal, along with their constant
surveillance. The adjustments were slow and agonizing at times.
He whiled away the hours watching television when guests weren't
present. Cory's mom and AYF coach/advisor Steve Elmasian never missed
a day, often joined by his aunt Kristen Garabedian and grandmother
Frances Garabedian.
"My aunt from Minnesota (Janine Garabedian) heard what happened and
flew out immediately to spend a week with me in ICU," Cory said.
"Throughout my hospital stay, I had a great support system that
reached out extensively."
Meanwhile, funds continue to trickle in for Cory's medical expenses,
compounded by some $6,000 that was raised at the Providence
"Varantian" Ball. Other events have also taken place throughout the
Greater Providence community as Armenians have rallied around this
young man.
People can contribute to: Friends of Cory, c/o Sovereign Bank, attn.
Ryan Purcell, 184 Taunton Ave., East Providence, RI 02914.
A fundraiser in his behalf is planned for March 1 at Ladder 133,
located at 133 Douglas Ave. in Providence, a block from where his
grandfather grew up inside the old Armenian neighborhood.
Elmasian didn't just hold a daily vigil by his athlete's bedside but
played a catalytic role in helping to alleviate the financial burden
suddenly thrust upon him.
"Cory came out of his coma and hasn't looked back," Elmasian noted.
"He has to deal with the loss of a leg but is focusing on the fact
he's still alive and thankful to God for that. He told me to look
around and see others who needed more help than himself. That says it
all."
From: A. Papazian
by Tom Vartabedian
http://www.reporter.am/go/article/2012-03-03-cory-garabedian-takes-a-new-step-forward
Published: Saturday March 03, 2012
Garabedian, center, is flanked by Shant Janesian, left, and Ara
Vartanian, as he leaves Rhode Island Hospital.
Providence - Seven weeks after losing a leg in a near-fatal auto
accident Christmas Eve, Cory Garabedian walked out of Rhode Island
Hospital, bent on a new lifestyle.
With stark memories of that horrific mishap still dancing in his head,
the 23-year-old seems determined to put the past behind him --- lost
limb and all.
Plans to check into Dean College and play quarterback on the football
team are being put on hold. So are a lot of other things on
Garabedian's personal agenda. For now, therapy remains the top
priority and learning to walk all over again with an artificial leg.
"If I master the prosthetic, then maybe I'll try and get involved with
sports again, even if it's on the coaching side," he said. "If I
should coach, it will be with the AYF, church or some other Armenian
sports team. I'd like to give back what the Armenian community gave me
growing up."
Words from Cory's Facebook page as he left the hospital are bound to
uplift even the most sympathetic: "Today is the day when my hospital
nightmare ends. I'm going home and never looking back. To everyone,
just take life day by day because you never know when it's going to be
your last."
According to Cory's physicians, he may never have survived such an
ordeal had it not been for his strong physical condition and
uncompromising faith.
His liver, elbow, leg and lugs all underwent treatment. He was on a
respirator and feeding tube for weeks.
"Much of my recovery had to do with the military and the discipline of
how to deal with adversity," he felt.
The dream of someday visiting Armenia, whether in an athletic capacity
earlier or now, still burns in his heart. A trip to that country with
the HMEM was negated when Cory was called to duty in Cuba with the
Armenian National Guard.
Although basketball and track were his forte, the star athlete was
named Most Valuable Player in a Division 4 Super Bowl for his high
school football team before all his AYF and ACYOA friends who showed
up with their Tricolors to cheer him on.
Cory often thought of those halcyon days while recuperating at the
hospital. The fact he was seldom without visitors, whether it was his
peers or clergy from different churches, made the recovery process
more tolerable.
"When I awoke from a coma, I had no idea what had happened to me or
where I was," Garabedian said. "After gaining consciousness, only then
did I realize that part of my right leg was missing. I immediately
looked down and couldn't believe the limb was missing."
Cory said he watched movies and read about people missing body parts,
never thinking he would be victimized.
"Some nights, I'd lay there in tears thinking my life was over," he
said. "After being discharged, I definitely have some huge adjustments
to make like negotiating a shower or a car, even my own bedroom."
Garabedian credited his mom (Leslie) and younger brother (Humberto)
for their ongoing motivation to heal, along with their constant
surveillance. The adjustments were slow and agonizing at times.
He whiled away the hours watching television when guests weren't
present. Cory's mom and AYF coach/advisor Steve Elmasian never missed
a day, often joined by his aunt Kristen Garabedian and grandmother
Frances Garabedian.
"My aunt from Minnesota (Janine Garabedian) heard what happened and
flew out immediately to spend a week with me in ICU," Cory said.
"Throughout my hospital stay, I had a great support system that
reached out extensively."
Meanwhile, funds continue to trickle in for Cory's medical expenses,
compounded by some $6,000 that was raised at the Providence
"Varantian" Ball. Other events have also taken place throughout the
Greater Providence community as Armenians have rallied around this
young man.
People can contribute to: Friends of Cory, c/o Sovereign Bank, attn.
Ryan Purcell, 184 Taunton Ave., East Providence, RI 02914.
A fundraiser in his behalf is planned for March 1 at Ladder 133,
located at 133 Douglas Ave. in Providence, a block from where his
grandfather grew up inside the old Armenian neighborhood.
Elmasian didn't just hold a daily vigil by his athlete's bedside but
played a catalytic role in helping to alleviate the financial burden
suddenly thrust upon him.
"Cory came out of his coma and hasn't looked back," Elmasian noted.
"He has to deal with the loss of a leg but is focusing on the fact
he's still alive and thankful to God for that. He told me to look
around and see others who needed more help than himself. That says it
all."
From: A. Papazian