HOLLYWOOD, Fla. (AP) — A South Florida firefighter is returning to work more than 15 months after breaking his neck while skimboarding at the beach.
While 33-year-old Derek Avilez isn’t yet ready for the rigors of firefighting, he’ll do light duty for Hollywood Fire Chief Virgil Fernandez when he reports for work Monday morning.
The South Florida Sun Sentinel (http://sunsent.nl/zqVqik ) reports Avilez considers his recovery a miracle. He broke his neck at the C- vertebra in September 2010.
Doctors at Memorial Regional Hospital in Hollywood fused his neck and stabilized his spinal column. Dr. Greg Zorman, the hospital’s chief of neurosurgery, says most people would not have made the recovery Avilez has made.
While Avilez is thrilled to return to work, he says his goal is to get back on the fire truck.
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Information from: South Florida Sun Sentinel, http://www.sun sentinel.com
Source: Associated Press
