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'There is more and more of him there' By DAMIAN MANN Mail Tribune Brian Kinkead will have a lot to celebrate today on his 18th birthday. Just two months ago, his father, Marshall, wasn't sure if this Ashland High School senior would even see his birthday. Brian was swinging on the branch of a tree at Glenwood Park on Oct. 8 when his heart stopped pumping, causing him to collapse to the ground. Doctors estimate his brain might have gone without oxygen for five to 10 minutes. Brian suffers from a rare condition known as Athlete's Heart, which causes a thickening of the inner wall of the heart. A straight-A student, he was taken to Rogue Valley Medical Center, where he remained in a coma for 20 days. Now in rehabilitation at Providence Medford Medical Center, Brian's rapid recovery has been called miraculous by his father. "Two weeks ago, we were wheeling him around in a wheelchair and today he was walking around," said his father. "It's pretty amazing." An outpouring of support has come from the community since Brian went to the hospital. To help the family financially, the Ashland High School speech and debate students will raise money for the Kinkead family during a speakathon from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Dec. 15. Brian still will require months of rehabilitation as his brain makes new pathways to replace those damaged from the lack of oxygen. Doctors have placed a pacemaker near his left shoulder to control any irregularities in the beat of his heart, and they are giving him medication to keep his blood flowing smoothly. For the first time in the past two months, Brian will be allowed to leave the hospital this weekend to go home for his birthday. He will return to Providence for a few more days of rehabilitation before he can finally be released. The road to recovery could be a long one, requiring more rehabilitation, but already, Brian has begun writing and drawing. "He has to do a lot of motor skill relearning," said his father. "He has to concentrate on something for periods of time before he can do it." Marshall was encouraged the other day when he could finally play catch with his son again for the first time since the tragedy. "Each day you see a little improvement," he said. The whole ordeal has been hard to bear for Marshall. A food service manager at Mount Ashland, Marshall has been heartened by the outpouring of community support. "Insurance pays for most of the bills, but you still end up with a lot of expenses," he said. Brian's girlfriend, Alana Kambury, remembers hearing about the heart attack when two friends rushed into class and told her the news. "I was shocked," she said. Then came weeks of going to the hospital, where she was asked to wear a hospital gown and mask and refrain from speaking. "I've never seen somebody in a coma," she said. "It's not like in the movies." Kambury said Brian has the attributes of an artist. "He has all the qualities of a very intuitive writer and creative painter." Close friend Brad Rahmlow went to visit Kinkead a week ago. "After a tragedy, it's so hard to know what to expect," he said. "But every time I see him, there is more and more of him there." Rahmlow, 17, said Brian was working on a drawing for the senior T-shirts that depicted a muscular Atlas holding the words "2002" above his shoulders. Before the accident, Rahmlow said, Brian himself was muscular, but two months of bed rest depleted him. "He was completely emaciated," Rahmlow said. "He's doing better, but when I gave him a hug, I could still feel his bones." Rahmlow is hopeful that Kinkead will walk with the rest of the class at graduation ceremonies next June and believes the school will do everything possible to help him complete his classes. "He's going to do it at his own pace," he said. To donate money, send it to the Brian Kinkead Fund, c/o Ashland High School, 201 S. Mountain, Ashland 97520. Reach reporter Damian Mann at 776-4476, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.