As beloved Seven Lakes resident David Cheek was playing with his grandchildren in the water on Father’s Day, he took a shallow dive which resulted in a traumatic injury.
“He hit his head on the bottom, and he barely felt it,” explained David’s middle child, Holden. “He was instantly numb from the neck down.”
While no bones were broken, the situation remained serious. David had damaged his C1 and C2 vertebrae. Surgery was done to relieve compression.
“The doctors said a lot of people with these injuries die,” said David’s youngest son, Conner.
Fortunately, David’s good health contributed to his recovery – a recovery that was said to be a miracle by doctors and therapists. After just six weeks, David is walking and returning to life as normally as possible.
“He is making a miraculous recovery,” said Jerry, David’s wife. “He’s walking and doing a lot of things independently.”
David continues to go to rehab to improve function in his arms and hands which still have some numbness. All things considered, he is grateful for the progress he has made.
“He put forth so much determination and is constantly doing what the doctors are telling him to do,” Jerry said. “His determination, along with all the prayers, has gotten him to where he is.”
Since the injury, the Cheek family has received an abundance of support from the community through prayers, meals, cards, and positive thoughts from community members and friends.
“It’s been very overwhelming and pretty amazing to have so much support,” Holden said.
The outstanding presence of the community helped to carry the Cheek family through the emergency, and they could not be more grateful.
“Without everyone, I don’t know if we could have gotten through this,” Jerry explained. “Our community is really there when we need them. We’re blessed to have people in our lives who are so wonderful.”
While David was at UNC getting treatment, his construction company Cheek Brothers Builders has been supervised and carried on by his sons Tyler and Holden as well as Scott Seagrove.
“We want to thank Scott, Tyler, and Holden for continuing to run the business for us while David was in the hospital,” Jerry said. “Without them, the company wouldn’t have survived a week. I’m thankful they were here.”
Now, David continues to supervise at the company, and he hopes to resume physical duties as soon as he is able.
At this point, the Cheek family is ready to put this experience behind them and move forward into what their future holds. They sincerely thank family, friends, and neighbors for all of the love and support.
