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My Brother - By Joe Putos
We as physiotherapists work with people to help them recover function and movement and often free them of pain and limitations to moving. Our skills as therapists are appreciated by our patients and their families. Sometimes for some patients outcomes are not as we had hoped. At other times they are more than we could have imagined.
My brother, David, competed in his first ever triathlon this past summer. The race has been going for 27 years and I have been the race director for 23 of them. This year he decided, along with his daughter, Sam, that they were going to participate in the K-Town Tri. I was thrilled and hesitant at the same time. I looked forward to him coming to an event that is pretty close to my heart. The race and the people who help organize it are like family to me. The race is something we look forward to each year. But it is grueling if you are a competitor. Dave has always been pretty fit and I didn’t think he would have too much trouble. He thought otherwise...because nine years ago, his life changed. He and his wife were driving home from a movie on a weeknight in the small second car they had instead of the van they normally drive. A driver going the other way lost control and struck them broadside. Dave’s life changed at that moment. Nine years later I found myself at the finish line talking to another friend who happens to be a sports writer for the local paper. He asked me if I knew of any “stories.” Without hesitation I said, what about my brother? Here is Pat’s story written under the byline “Unbelievable Comeback” that appeared the following day in the paper.
Aside from the long course, short course and duathlon champions in Sunday's K-Town Triathlon, another winning performance quietly highlighted the home-grown version of the three-discipline pastime, an inspiring outing that epitomizes the term comeback. David Putos, one of 283 entrants in the short-course event, didn't come back from just any injury. His comeback is from a near-death roadway accident. "I didn't sleep a wink last night I was so nervous," admitted the 50-year-old Toronto lab technician and younger brother of longtime K-Town Tri executive member Joe Putos. "I'm just happy I finished the swim. That's what kept me awake; I was too worried about the darned swim." Nine years ago last April, Putos sustained severe head injuries as an innocent victim in a two-car crash in Pickering. The father of three spent 15 weeks in hospital, including the first three in a coma. He was in rehab the better part of 18 months. At the outset, family members were prepared for the worst. "We were told he might not survive that first night in hospital," recalled Dave's mother, Emily, waiting near the finish line. Mrs. Putos, who travelled from Ottawa and turned 75 this weekend, endured a bit of a wait: Her boy lumbered home in 263rd place. Besides the matriarch, the family welcoming party featured a sister, a brother, nieces and nephews and Dave's daughters Heather and Samantha, who did the short course and placed 13 spots ahead of Pops. They came to salute the only kind of comeback that matters: back from the brink. "Considering what David went through, this is so nice to see him do this," his mom remarked. Mind you, his wasn't the only moral victory at the 27th running of this popular event, not in a sport where to win is to finish.
I sent David the story by email. His response was "make sure I thanked Pat for writing such a moving story about him." He also said for me to say thanks to that group that organizes the race. He also texted me later and wrote that the people he worked with were tired of hearing what a great weekend he had. I never will.
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