Lincoln science teacher, Michael Marty, has returned home on Mon. March 7 from two successful 3-hr. operations in the UCSF Medical Center since his skiing accident in Feb.

Marty is now recovering at home trying to rest his vertebrae after his two-week stay at the Intensive Care Unit in UCSF.

“It is hard for me to talk and is difficult for me to swallow. I have a tube that goes through my nose connecting to the esophagus, and into the stomach in order for me to be fed,” Marty said.

During Marty’s operations, his trachea and esophagus were moved to the side towards the area of his spine, thus minimizing his abilities to speak and digest for the first few weeks after his operations.

Since all the pieces of Marty’s C-3 vertebrae are gone, a piece of bone taken from his hips is fused with titanium wire mesh in order to hold up his neck. The immovable screws in the back of his neck, connecting to the C-3 fusion to the C-2 and C-3 vertebrae, have left him with a permanent stiff neck. Marty’s neck brace keeps his neck still in an upright position, but immobilizes his neck movement.

“I was very lucky,” Marty said. “With any wrong move, I could’ve easily become paraplegic like Christopher Reeve.”

Marty’s accident at a ski resort in Truckee, Calif. was caused by a loss of balance on a leveled skiing area.

“Instead of falling backwards, I fell forward straight on my head and heard it go crack,” Marty said.

Marty instantly knew that his neck was severely injured after hearing the crack, and so he walked towards the ski patrol, while holding his neck still in place. They immediately brought him to the bottom of the mountain in a wrap board on a sled to the Truckee Forest Hospital. Marty was then transferred from Truckee Forest Hospital to UCSF on a helicopter.

During Marty’s two-week stay at UCSF, he was accompanied daily by his family members and his pet dog, making his stay there less treacherous.

Marty expects to return to school by the end of April; giving himself two months to reach full recovery.

Marty’s temporary substitute teacher, Mr. Ferguson, has promised to fulfill his classroom responsibilities until the day Marty returns.

In his time of absence, he wishes to leave his students and the faculty with a message.

“To my students: take it easy on Mr. Ferguson. Mr. Ferguson: take it easy on my students. And to the teachers and faculty: live life