November, 1994 |
Alexia Clarke:
While the Cup went to Brazil,
the world plays at Central.
After Falling from Mountaintop,
Shubert Lives to Teach at Central
By Sarah Greenberg
This is the story of twenty-seven year old Mr. Kevin Shubert, a Graphics Arts teacher at Central, who had a life and death experience. The accident occurred on the Grandfather Mountains in North Carolina, while Mr. Shubert was hiking with his wife and friends. Jumping from one rock to another, his backpack hit some rocks which knocked him down off a mountaintop.
"I fell about twenty feet down until I hit the landing below me. When I landed I heard a snap which I thought was a twig, but instead it was my left leg," said Shubert. When asked if he was scared and in a lot of pain, Shubert said, "After fifteen minutes I was in terrible agony. I wasn't scared because I knew I was alive."
Mr. Shubert tried to hold his leg in place while little by little he went into shock. Luckily, Dr. Craig Gorley, a physician from Virginia, happened to be hiking the same mountain. He fashioned a splint for Shubert's leg out of branches. Dr. Gorley then proceeded to calm Shubert down by giving him a lot of juice drinks.
Ninety minutes elapsed before a medical team got Shubert off the mountain. Shubert stated he was very happy, because by that time he had drank so many juices, he had to use the bathroom in the worst way.
The experience has given Shubert a new perspective on life. Shubert says he looks at handicapped people with more respect and empathy, since he now knows what it feels like being confined to a wheelchair for a long period of time.
"You should live your life to the fullest and find a career you enjoy," said Shubert. Asked if he would ever stop teaching Shubert said, "No it's a rewarding experience to teach and help others." Asked if he would give up mountain climbing, Shubert said, "No, I'm going back again next summer!"
