'Half of me did die': Akron ER doctor reinvents himself after paralyzing ski accident

When Dr. Jason Kolb returned from Colorado on Good Friday last year, he wheeled instead of walked into his Kent home.

Jason, who was an emergency medicine doctor at Summa Akron City Hospital, had been paralyzed from the waist down in a skiing accident.

Jason immediately accepted after his accident that he would never walk again, relying on his faith to guide him through this trying time.

A year later, Jason’s Christian foundation remains strong. He feels that he has, in a sense, been resurrected.

“Half of me did die,” he said, as he sat with his dog, Daisy, on his lap. “The second half – we'll see what God does with it.”

'God is bigger than that': Daughter pens poem about father's paralyzing ski accident

Jason, 50, was injured in a skiing accident on Copper Mountain in Colorado on Jan. 29, 2023. He was on a trip with a group of men who met through The Chapel in Akron.

Jason, a father of four, spent two months at Craig Hospital outside of Denver, where he learned to master the tasks of everyday life in a wheelchair.

While Jason was at Craig, numerous updates were made to his home, including a hydraulic lift in the garage, a carpet-free first floor and a path from the garage to the back patio.

Jason and his wife, Amy, appreciate the support that made these renovations possible, with hundreds of people donating nearly $170,000. This was just enough to cover the house updates and to buy a Toyota Sienna van that operates with hand controls.

People also provided meals for the family for months and helped with other tasks, including organizing closets, building shelves and pulling weeds.

“I was so grateful,” said Amy, 48, who has been by Jason’s side most of the time since his accident. “It was so much.”

In the months since his return home, Jason has been continuing to heal while figuring out what he now plans to do with his life, especially because he can no longer be an ER doctor. Those plans are still taking shape but will include co-writing a book, continuing to be involved with his church, and possibly teaching part-time.

Many people admire Jason’s stalwart faith in the face of such adversity, including Knute Larson, the retired long-time pastor of The Chapel in Akron. Larson was among the church leaders who started the annual ski trip nearly 30 years ago, with the goals of Bible study and camaraderie.

Larson, who still skis at 83 and was on the trip with Jason, called what happened “one of the most devastating events I’ve been through.” He said Jason can serve as an example of how to cope with suffering.

“He has trusted the sovereignty of God and that God doesn’t do mean things to people,” said Larson who retired in 2009 and now lives in Michigan and coaches pastors. “Everybody asks, why? If you think you will get an easy answer, you will get discouraged. God works in hard things to make us all stronger.”

Jason Kolb recalls ski accident that left him paralyzed

Jason’s accident happened on the third day of his ski trip. Most people planned to leave the next day.

Jason, who had skied since fifth grade, put on his winter gear and boots and walked about 20 yards on a trail, then snapped on his skis. He had checked his watch and knew his fastest speed of the trip was 53 mph.

“I’m going to beat it,” he thought.

At the top of Treble Clef, a black diamond mountain he’d skied before, Jason and his friend Jon Bucciarelli took a quick selfie around noon.

As Jason skied down the mountain, he made a right turn instead of a left. When he crested the top of a small hill, he realized a tubing area was in front of him. He was concerned he might hit the people waiting there.

“I thought, ‘I have one chance to stop,’ and planted my skis,” he recalled. “The last thing I remember, my feet stopped, and I screamed.”

Jason’s spinal surgeon later told him he hit the ground and fell forward, which was what severely injured his spine.

The last recorded speed on Jason’s watch was 53.1 mph.

Jason was knocked unconscious. When he awoke, Bucciarelli asked if Jason could feel his legs, which were at an awkward angle.

“I’m a T-10 paralytic but God’s grace will be sufficient,” Jason told his friend, referring to the vertebrae located at the belly button.

Injured ER doctor receives emergency medical care, undergoes surgery

The ski patrol brought Jason down the mountain to a waiting ambulance.

Bad weather made a helicopter ride impossible.

Jason was taken first to a nearby hospital and then to a larger hospital in Denver.

Bucciarelli and Dr. Michael Smith, another friend who is a retired spinal surgeon, went with him on this hospital trek.

They also called Amy, who had just flown to Cleveland from Florida to return home. They told her Jason had been in an accident and couldn’t feel his legs.

Amy boarded another plane for Denver, never leaving the airport.

Jason learned from his spinal surgeon that his self-assessment was correct. He had a burst fracture in his T-10 vertebrae with fragments going into his spinal cord. It was damaged “completely,” which meant he was paralyzed below the waist.

Jason had also broken 14 ribs, his sternum and his collarbone. He had surgery to realign his spine.

Daniel, Jason’s oldest son who is 20, visited his father when he was still in the ICU. He said seeing him in a hospital bed with IVs in his arms was a shock.

“He was very kind, asking how I was doing,” Daniel recalled. “It was a lot. I tried to be strong for him. I guess I didn’t look super sad.”

Jason relearns basic skills at rehabilitation hospital

Jason knew he had a long recovery road ahead and decided Craig Rehabilitation Hospital, a renowned rehabilitation facility that was near the Denver hospital where he was staying, was the best place for him to do this.

The recovery wasn’t easy. Jason cried every day for the first month.

Jason said his low point was when he lost control of his bowels at the end of a physical therapy session. He said he returned to his room, wept and asked God, “It’s not enough that I can’t walk?”

Jason had colostomy surgery, which involves creating an opening for the colon through the abdomen, forming a stoma. Stool drains from the stoma into a bag attached to the abdomen.

Jason, though, said most of his time at Craig was fun and challenging. He had to learn how to lift himself from the bed to his wheelchair, care for his skin to avoid bed sores, get in and out of a car and airplane seat, and maneuver his wheelchair up and down steps.

“It was like learning to walk again,” Jason said.

Jason’s kids – Daniel; Luke, 18; Noah, 16; and Grace, 13 – all visited him at the rehab facility.

Daniel said he was relieved when his father accompanied his uncle to get him from the airport when he visited. He said he looked much better than the last time he’d seen him.

Grace said her dad apologized to them for his injury.

“This isn’t your fault,” she told him. “It was an accident.”

Jason decides what’s next in his life

When Jason returned home, he had to decide what to do next.

He had been an emergency room physician for nearly 20 years, first at Alliance Community Hospital and then at Summa Akron City Hospital, where he worked for U.S. Acute Care Solutions, the physician group that provides ER doctors for Summa.

He was fortunate to have disability insurance and for his mortgage and medical school bills to be completely paid off, which meant he had less expenses than he would have earlier in his life.

Jason began working part-time for U.S. Acute Care, doing grant writing and administrative work. He also teaches residents once a month.

Jason had been thinking of transitioning into drug rehabilitation. He considered a couple positions in this field but decided he didn’t yet have the stamina to work full-time or to drive two hours a day.

Jason recently interviewed for a part-time teaching position at Northeast Ohio Medical University (NEOMED) that would involve teaching medical students, as well as providing drug rehabilitation services. He expects to hear if he got the job by early April, with it slated to start in July.

Jason shares his story: 'You're not alone'

Jason and Amy have spoken about his accident at several area churches and schools.

Jason said his main messages are: “There’s hope and joy in suffering,” and “You’re not alone.”

After they spoke at the Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy, Amy said a young girl told her how much what they said meant to her. The girl suffers from depression.

Jason is also collaborating on a book with Tricia Heyer, an author he and Amy know through The Chapel.

Heyer is originally from Akron but has lived in Colorado since 2003. She has written 15 books, including a New York Times bestseller.

Heyer said she was intrigued by how Jason’s relationships and faith were strong before and only deepened after his accident.

“How do you get to a place where you have such trust and such faith that, when you have a life-altering injury, it changes so many things, but not who you are as a person?” asked Heyer.

Heyer traveled to Kent in July, where she spent 14 hours talking to Jason, Amy, their children, and other family members and friends.

Heyer, who is also a teacher, asked Jason to make a list of the things he misses or will miss.

The list included walking the dog, cycling, waterskiing, snow skiing, walking nine holes of golf, living pain free, being on no medication, walking his daughter down the aisle, and flipping his leg over Amy’s leg in bed.

Heyer said she has completed a draft of the book and will continue collaborating with Jason until it’s finished.

Jason hopes the book, “Coming Down the Mountain,” will be done by early fall. He plans to self-publish it on Amazon.

Jason said he has no idea if the book will do well or if only his mother and a few friends will buy it.

“If God wants it to be successful, fine,” he said. “I hope it changes people’s lives.”

Jason works out to stay in shape

Jason is working out regularly, trying to stay in shape and keep his shoulders strong.

He has a standing frame that helps him to stand. He does it five times a week for up to an hour.

“It feels like I’m really tall,” Jason said on a recent afternoon as he stood in the machine. “It does feel really good to feel tall.”

A golf outing held in Jason’s honor paid for this piece of equipment, which he learned about while at Craig.

Jason also uses a ski machine and resistance bands about three times a week for 15 to 20 minutes.

Jason drove his van to the Cleveland Clinic Akron General Wellness Center in Stow on a recent afternoon for his other new workout regimen – swimming. He didn’t swim before his accident, preferring to ride his bike, walk while golfing and use fitness equipment.

Jason used hand controls to accelerate and slow down the van during the short trip to the gym. He had to take a test to be able to drive in this new way, which he said isn’t that different from traditional driving.

Jason parked the van in a handicapped spot, shifted from the driver’s seat to his wheelchair and rolled down the van’s ramp and into the gym.

Luke, Jason’s son who is a lifeguard at the wellness center, helped Jason transfer from his wheelchair to a chair lift that lowered him into the pool.

Jason swam laps while Amy stayed close by. When Jason swam freestyle, he turned in a circle when he needed to breathe. He explained that he can’t move his head to the side.

“I’m going to patent that move,” Jason joked.

Jason, who swims twice a week, did laps for a half hour. He used an inflatable belt that helped him float part of the time.

“Don’t you normally go for like four hours?” Luke asked his dad, laughing.

“We said we were going to say two,” Jason replied, smiling.

Jason uses all-terrain wheelchair to 'go anywhere'

Jason has another interesting mode of transportation – an “Action Trackchair,” which is an all-terrain wheelchair.

Jason first rode one of these chairs at Craig and fell in love with the flexibility it provided beyond a regular wheelchair.

“I can go anywhere,” Jason said as he drove the chair around his driveway and front yard on a recent sunny afternoon.

Jason uses the chair to go to his mother’s house next door and to his brother Eric’s 40 acres of property behind his house.

The chair is electric and was made by a man in Wisconsin who created the first one for a family member. About 90% of the $15,000 cost of Jason’s chair was covered by grants from two foundations.

Jason plans to take the chair on family vacations this summer to the beach and a lake.

New ‘SCI’ group helps connect people with spinal cord injuries

Jason has a new “SCI” group that’s made up of people with spinal cord injuries in Northeast Ohio.

The group meets once a month at Jason’s house, where they have dinner and compare notes, such as what kind of tires they use on their wheelchairs.

“I have learned that community is so critical,” Jason said.

Jason met the members – so far about eight people have joined – at outpatient rehab and a Summa support group.

They bring their family members to the monthly gatherings.

One man is paralyzed from the neck down, which Jason said makes him grateful that his injury wasn’t worse.

'He's a great role model'

Jason has continued his involvement at Riverwood Chapel, which is just down the street from his house.

He volunteers at the middle school youth group on Wednesday nights and attends a men’s Bible study twice a week.

During a recent youth group meeting, Jason played a modified version of Nine Square that was created in his honor in which he sits in his wheelchair and the other players sit in folding chairs. They hit the ball back and forth while seated, rather than standing.

Jason, who is 6 foot 5, dominated in this game before his accident, towering over the young people he was competing against.

“It was a good run,” Jason said after dropping the ball on a recent evening. “I’m out.”

Jason may no longer beat the kids at Nine Square, but still gives them a run for their money in UNO.

“The Lord humbled me in my domination of eighth graders,” Jason joked as he held a hand of giant UNO cards.

During the teaching portion of the evening, Jason told the young people about fasting, which involves skipping a meal to focus on spirituality.

Josh Miller, a youth pastor at the church, said the kids listen when Jason speaks. He is glad Jason decided to continue as a youth leader for the seventh and eighth grade boys.

“He’s a great role model for how to manage adversity,” said Miller, who has been with the church for seven years. “His attitude toward his lot in life has been inspiring for the boys.”

Stephanie Warsmith can be reached at swarsmith@thebeaconjournal.com, 330-996-3705 and on Twitter: @swarsmithabj. 

How to follow Jason's journey

To continue following Dr. Jason Kolb’s journey after a ski accident that left him paralyzed, look for his updates on social media:

Facebook: Under Jason Kolb.

Instagram: @drjasonkolb.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Dr. Jason Kolb reinvents himself after being injured in ski accident