Modern Adventure's Ezra Caudell gives incredible update: 'Streetlights can put up quite a fight when you hit them'

"I usually write a post for every race; I finally got around to writing this one," he began his post in a humorous tone. But what happened to Caudell on August 30 in the U.S. is anything but funny.

“Ezra suffered severe trauma to his lungs and head and is currently in intensive care,” came the update a week after the crash.

A crowdfunding campaign was launched for Caudell, but especially for his family—who had just moved to Germany—to support the American cyclist.

Now that Caudell had been hospitalized in the U.S., the family was suddenly faced with enormous expenses. After 11 days, there was some fairly good news: Caudell was awake and able to communicate.

In early October, Caudell was discharged from the hospital, but: “He is now beginning an intensive phase of patient recovery at Magee Rehabilitation Hospital.

After that, he will continue his recovery in his hometown of Atlanta. He still has a long road ahead of him, but Ezra has already made tremendous strides, both literally and figuratively.'

"Ezra continues to make significant progress following his brain injury; every day he makes gains in strength, cognition, communication, and independence.

"His recovery will take time, but the progress he has made over the past month is remarkable; the fact that he is now walking, interacting with his surroundings, and taking the next step toward rehabilitation is a huge milestone," was the recent update.

A post by Caudell on his own social media is encouraging, but also intense. “I don’t remember anything about the crash or that entire day because I hit my head. My first memory is from a few weeks after the crash, so I’m relying on what others have told me. Apparently, I slammed into a lamppost very hard on my left side, severely damaging my lung.”

Caudell had to be put on a ventilator. “And even with the endotracheal tube and chest drains—on both sides to inflate my lungs—I was still having trouble oxygenating my blood on my own. The doctors decided to put me on ECMO, which is basically a machine that draws blood from your femoral artery, oxygenates it, and pumps it back in. It acts as a kind of external lung.”

In addition to the problem with his lungs, he also had “a Grade 3 brain injury, paresthesia in my left arm, a facial fracture, a broken rib, multiple neck fractures, a spinal cord injury, and a few other random things.”

Or as Caudell puts it succinctly—and once again with a laugh—“Streetlights can put up quite a fight when you hit them!”