Hickey Fights Back

"It sucks that I got hit by a car, but it's led to such an outpouring of emotion, I can't even dwell on it."

by Brian Howard

"If it wasn't for the support I've received, I don't know where I'd be right now."

Those words came from the mouth of Brian Hickey Monday night.

Kicking around his room in a wheelchair, wearing a neck brace, a body brace and what looks like a hockey helmet, Hickey, our friend and former colleague who six weeks ago was left for dead after a hit-and-run accident in Collingswood, is making what his wife, Angie, describes as a miraculous recovery.

During surgery, much of his skull was removed to reduce brain swelling. He was put into a medically induced coma. Friends and family waited for three agonizing weeks for any sign of cognition.

Raising his thumb on command was what counted as a baby step in this process. (Not that following commands is a very Hickey thing; his eventual flipping off a friend by request was a more reassuring sign.) 

And then, three weeks ago, Brian woke up. He started saying words, then sentences, then sending updates to Facebook.

"I read the blogs and the papers," he says, "and the outpouring of support has been overwhelming."

He marvels at how his Facebook page has blown up; he can't seem to catch up on everything that's been written on it, though he's trying.

Angie can't help but bring up the hellish three-week period when Brian wasn't awake; Brian has a hard time discussing it.

As he sat in his chair and tossed a ball from one hand to the other — a huge positive given that movement in his right hand was slow to come back — he pauses to remove his helmet and run his hand over the crew cut that blankets his scarred scalp ("I had a mullet," he smiles, "but they had to shave that off").

"It sucks that I got hit by a car, but it's led to such an outpouring of emotion, I can't even dwell on it."

And to everyone who's supported him and his family, "I want to thank them, and let them know that I would have their back if they had anything wrong happen to them."

Since he was moved to Magee Rehabilitation in Center City on Dec. 18, Brian's days have been packed with tough work.

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His progress is amazing: On Monday during three-plus hours of therapy, he was going up and down stairs without a railing and practicing getting in and out of a tub. Which is to say there's a lot of hard work and diligence ahead.

"I'm on pace to really surpass the doctor's prognosis," says Brian, proudly. "I'm not going to get back to work anytime soon, but I'll be back. I'm not going to co-opt the healing process," then admitting, "I'll blog, but no work for now."

The experience has changed him.

"I don't think I can be as critical. I need to celebrate life. It's been a tough experience," he says, then smiles, "Don't hold me to that."

He's anxious to see his dog, Charlie Dawg. "I want to get home so she doesn't have to sit by the door waiting."

Brian suspects that he'll be home in a couple of weeks; once he has surgery to replace his skull, he'll transfer to outpatient rehabilitation.

And with any luck, Brian figures he'll be in his living room in time to watch his beloved Eagles win the Super Bowl. He's calling for the Birds to trump the Giants, 20-17, and to eventually "steamroll" the Steelers in Tampa. (He also predicts fellow Delaware alum Joe Flacco will lead the Ravens over the Titans this weekend.)

"The moment I knew I was alive was during the [Dec. 28] Cowboys game, screaming and yelling like an Eagles fan."

(bhoward@citypaper.net)

City Paper and the Pen & Pencil Club are holding a benefit for Brian Hickey Sat., Jan. 10, 7-10 p.m., at the Pen & Pencil Club, 1522 Latimer St. Tickets are $50; 100 percent of the proceeds go to the Hickey family. RSVP to hickeybenefit@citypaper.net.