Hello, my name is Austin.
On December 2nd 2014, I got in my Chevy S10 with a friend and was leaving anytime fitness in Greenfield Indiana. I took my friend home and then I didn't know where I was, so I used my GPS to get to my dad's (Mark Craft) house. I got to this really bad intersection and it was getting dark and foggy at about 7:30 at night. As I got to the stop sign, I looked both ways to make sure that there wasn't a car coming. I didn't see anything so I drive out and was T-Boned by a grain semi truck. I was taken to the hospital and then induced into a coma. I had a traumatic brain injury. The doctors told my mom (Becky Willis) and the rest of my family, that they might consider looking into long-term care for me. Then, in less than a week I got severe pneumonia and had to go on ECMO machine, that acted as an artificial lung.
The doctor said that my lungs would never be the same again. I came out of my coma after about a month and ended up at the Seton Hospital in Indianapolis, then moved to RHI (Rehabilitation hospital of Indianapolis) in Indianapolis. I then went home January 28, 2015. I had lost about 40 pounds, I weighed 157 pounds. I started going to outpatient therapy in Indianapolis. I went there twice a week, until about the middle of June. I started going back to the gym in February. Working my strength up to try and get things back to where they were. In April I started running again, I ran a little bit in April and May but then in June and July I started running harder and harder with my cousin (Paul O'Leary-Parker)to try and prepare for the Dualathon race on August 1st in Cincinnati Ohio.
You run 3.5 miles and swim 200 meters. I finished 11th out of 37 participants. I have gained around 50 lbs since I came home from the hospital and gained a lot of strength. I was so happy to compete in this year's Dualathon. I am also working out every day and I am following my dreams of one day being in a bodybuilding competition. I am working really hard in both, the gym and in school. I have started classes this past spring semester. I am amazed with everything that God has made possible for me. None of this would be possible without my friends and family praying for me and always being there for me on my road of recovery.
