Brevard near-death victims mark National Trauma Survivors Day during Melbourne ceremony

Rick Neale, Florida Today
Updated ·3 min read

Spinning out of control, plummeting with a malfunctioning parachute, Brevard County Ocean Rescue lifeguard captain Tyler Farnham crashed into the ground with bone-shattering force in April 2009 at Sebastian Municipal Airport.

Farnham's right femur "blew out of his leg," he later described. Nine teeth broke, as did his jawbone. His skull fractured. And he laid in the grass like a rag doll, moaning and gasping for air.

"I had blood coming from just about everywhere — my ears, nose, eyes and mouth," Farnham later recounted in his book "Reaching Cloud 9: Surviving a Near-Death Skydive."

Farnham was transported by First Flight medical helicopter to Holmes Regional Medical Center in Melbourne, where he endured life-saving surgeries. Had 52 staples installed across his flesh. And underwent months of rehabilitation and recovery.

More: Behind the scenes: First Flight helicopter crew saves lives during Space Coast emergencies

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Now a motivational speaker and surfing instructor in Indonesia, he delivered thanks to his surgeons, doctors and nurses Wednesday via a message from Bali during a National Trauma Survivors Day reunion ceremony.

"I send my thanks to the team at HRMC that saved my life. I owe the past 14 years of this life to all of you," Farnham said.

Health First officials marked National Trauma Survivors Day by hosting an emotional celebration in the hospital atrium reuniting victims of vehicle, motorcycle and personal watercraft crashes with the clinical and EMS personnel who helped save their lives.

Survivors received long-stemmed red tulips, colorful tote bags labeled "Survivor," and rounds of applause. Hospitals across the nation conducted similar ceremonies to mark Wednesday's annual commemoration.

Holmes Regional Medical Center is the only state-accredited Level II trauma center in Brevard and Indian River counties. Last year, trauma personnel treated more than 1,600 patients — a number approaching the combined populations of Melbourne Village and Palm Shores.

The First Flight "air ambulance" helicopter transports roughly 800 patients per year from trauma scenes, responding to emergency calls across Brevard, Osceola and Indian River counties.

"We come together to celebrate the gift of life — and especially for some patients, the second or third chance of life — due to the advanced procedures and excellent care that they have received from the skilled hands of our physicians and their teams," prayed Chaplain Derly Foerste, Health First director of pastoral care.

"We pray, God, that we continue to bring healing to those that come to us seeking care and support in their time of illness, especially when dealing with unexpected tragic life-changing events," Foerste said.

Mark Stapleton, standing by his wife, Eileen, tells the crowd about the extensive injuries he suffered in a serious car wreck during the National Trauma Survivors Day reunion at Holmes Regional Medical Center in Melbourne.
Mark Stapleton, standing by his wife, Eileen, tells the crowd about the extensive injuries he suffered in a serious car wreck during the National Trauma Survivors Day reunion at Holmes Regional Medical Center in Melbourne.

Viera resident Mark Stapleton and his wife, Eileen, were driving to dinner on U.S. 1 on April 7, 2022, when an out-of-control oncoming vehicle crossed the median and slammed into their Jeep Compass near the Pineda Causeway. He was hospitalized for the next 104 days.

"I went through six surgeries, took 17 pints of blood, had my spleen removed. I broke all my ribs," Stapleton told the audience.

"I was a mess," he said.

In September 2015, Melbourne resident Courtney Der was a passenger in a vehicle that violently veered into the woods off U.S. 1 just south of Viera Boulevard.

Melbourne survivor Courtney Der shows her scar from when she was impaled by a tree branch during a 2015 crash on U.S. 1 just south of Viera Boulevard.
Melbourne survivor Courtney Der shows her scar from when she was impaled by a tree branch during a 2015 crash on U.S. 1 just south of Viera Boulevard.

During Wednesday's reunion, her father, Gene, showed the crowd graphic photographs of her at the hospital with a piece of branch penetrating her right shoulder — she got grotesquely impaled by a Brazilian pepper tree.

"Six weeks here, of misery," Gene Der told the crowd of Courtney's stay at the Melbourne hospital.

"I didn't think she was ever going to talk again, or eat. But she did," he said, rubbing his head and getting choked up holding a microphone.

“And five years ago, I got a grandson," he said, garnering applause.

Rick Neale is the South Brevard Watchdog Reporter at FLORIDA TODAY (for more of his stories, click here.) Contact Neale at 321-242-3638 or rneale@floridatoday.com. Twitter: @RickNeale1

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This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Brevard near-death victims mark National Trauma Survivors Day at hospital