From Trauma to Triumph. A TBI Survivor's journey out of darkness.

Nine years ago Cody Ridenour was hiking alone in the hills outside of San Diego, CA when he fell off a 5-story cliff onto the beach.  His injuries were so significant (a fractured skull, broken back, broken wrist, partial left side paralysis) that he was required to be airlifted to a trauma center. Join us on this astonishing tale of recovery, which includes his book “5 Stories Down, Sometimes You Must Fall To Rise” which memorializes this amazing journey. Many of us can relate to this traumatic experience all too well. Listen in as he shares this inspirational story of Faith and the importance of surrounding yourself with a strong support system as he traverses this road of recovery.

New footage: https://youtu.be/hoZkoSfM2WU?si=eIhbWROyEMxM1BnD

IG: @codyridenour12 

https://www.facebook.com/CodyWRidenour/

Transcript

Cody Ridenour: 0:00

But man, it's like there was those many years I thought, man, I wish I would've died for my accident, man.'cause my life's too hard now. It's too hard. I can't do it. But. As time went on, I thought, man, I'm, I'm blessed. I'm not dead. No.

Bernard: 0:25

Opinions shared by the guests of the show are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of the hosts bindwaves or the Brain Injury Network. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and it's not a substitute for professional medical advice, the diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of a healthcare provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Thank you.

bindwaves-host: 0:52

Hi, I'm Brittany and I'm a TBI survivor and member of BIND. And hi, I'm Carrie, a stroke survivor, and a member of BIND as well. And today our guest is Cody Ridenour. Did I get it right?

Cody Ridenour: 1:05

Yeah. Yeah, it's good. Thank you. Glad be here. Glad to be here.

bindwaves-host: 1:11

Awesome. Sorry. Thanks for all the technical waiting for us through the technical difficulties. That's always fun. Yeah. so before we begin, why don't you just tell us a little bit about you, like before the injury so we can get to know you and then we'll get into all the.

Cody Ridenour: 1:24

Yeah. So I was,

bindwaves-host: 1:25

here about.

Cody Ridenour: 1:27

yeah, I was, I was like a normal, normal dude, you know? Uh, I was, I, I played sports in high school, played football and basketball, and then I, uh, I was in after, after, after high school. I tried to play football in college, but. Uh, I had the injury in my neck, so I couldn't play more. So I thought, man, I would do something else to like, uh, spend my time. So I learned to play guitar and I became a li, I ca I became a singer and charged of, a band in Maryland. I originally from Maryland.

bindwaves-host: 2:05

Okay.

Cody Ridenour: 2:06

And when they, yeah, when Ben broke up, I thought, man. My brother, my brother lived in San San Diego, California. So I thought, man, what if I go there and live there and try music there? So I drove the country from Maryland to California and uh, and I was there for six days in California. And, uh, and then changed, you know, that's when everyth happened, you know?

bindwaves-host: 2:32

All right. Okay, so, um. I guess, tell us a little bit about your accident.

Cody Ridenour: 2:39

Yeah, so, so after I drove the country, I was in California for six days and two days before it rained a lot like, like a, like a downpour, which not common at all for, uh, somewhere in, in California like Southern California. It's rarely raines like that. So everything's very slippery and wet and I'm realizing,'cause I'm not really from the area, so I didn't. know way to expect, but I went hiking by himself and, uh, woke up in Maryland and so I, I, at some point, I guess I slipped at some point and, uh, like there was hiking, there's a couple hiking behind me and, uh, they saw and called the lifeguard. And, uh, I, I got, I air lifted it from, uh, the beach to the. The closest hospital is number two, trauma in the nation. So lucky there. And, uh, I was, uh, in a coma for two months and, uh, I made many, many injuries, kept out fire, so stories of a cliff. And first thing I had had was my head. The head was, first thing I had was, was in my head and shattered my skull to pieces. I'm very lucky though,'cause it gave my brain room to bleed and speed and swell, so then die immediately and that gimme time to, from my brain to like not, you know, shatter, you know, not break. So I was a, and that was, I was, uh, in, I was in the hospital for. Two months and, uh, woke up in, went to rehab for eight months to learn everything again. Everything, yeah.

bindwaves-host: 4:37

Hmm.

Cody Ridenour: 4:38

my best friend. He says watching a baby go from zero to four months old and eight months.

bindwaves-host: 4:47

Yeah, I think we can all kind of relate to that. Unfortunately, all of us, after our brain injury, we all kind of start back over. Mm. Your accident was hiking. So were you an avid hiker before your injury?

Cody Ridenour: 5:00

I was, uh, well, I don't know, like I didn't hike like, and nothing like crazy, but I would like, first off, first off, I've like hiked in that like cliff, so I, I thought I, I should try, man, because Cool. It's adventure, you know. But it wasn't exactly what I expected.

bindwaves-host: 5:23

Not the adventure you were looking for.

Cody Ridenour: 5:25

Yeah, exactly.

bindwaves-host: 5:25

Uh, yeah. So, um, I wanna make sure I understand this right. So because your, your actual skull as well, that's what. In some ways helped you with your brain injury because your brain, it sw, it was swollen, but because the skull was actually cracked, it didn't do as much damage as it could have. Is that what I'm understanding you're

Cody Ridenour: 5:48

Yes. Exactly, exactly. Yeah. So it hadn't, hadn't happened. That shattered at my skull. I would've died and, and get impact,

bindwaves-host: 5:57

Right.

Cody Ridenour: 5:57

you know?

bindwaves-host: 5:58

Mm-hmm. Did you have, I mean, that's a cra I mean you, you're saying that you fell basically five stories, did you? break anything else or was it

Cody Ridenour: 6:08

Yeah.

bindwaves-host: 6:08

your brain, I mean.

Cody Ridenour: 6:10

I broke many, many things and, uh, uh, I broke some low back, uh, vertebrae. I broke. Um. My left wrist, I dislocated my right hip. Um, I broke the, roof of my mouth.

bindwaves-host: 6:34

Oh

Cody Ridenour: 6:35

I didn't, I didn't know it was possible, but Yeah. And not one tooth, not one tooth was broken.

bindwaves-host: 6:41

Mm-hmm. Huh. Interesting.

Cody Ridenour: 6:43

Yeah. I, I, I, I took right. I, I took, I had braces for five years. So I took very care, care, very great care of it. After the five years,'cause they're painful, very painful, very sorry.

bindwaves-host: 6:56

Oh yeah. Wow. So, um, how has your recovery been and what challenges have you had to overcome?

Cody Ridenour: 7:05

Yeah. So I'm sure you guys can you all, uh, relate, but man, the one by far is fatigue.

bindwaves-host: 7:12

Mm-hmm.

Cody Ridenour: 7:13

It's been nine, it's been nine years now, but still, I'm always, always tired, but help, coffee helps, helps a lot. Coffee help. Yeah, it's like my, my, my, my best friend coffee.

bindwaves-host: 7:28

I can, I can relate to that.

Cody Ridenour: 7:30

Yeah. But, so, yeah, so I mean, number one definitely is, is fatigued, but that's like come common place for brain injuries. But yeah.

bindwaves-host: 7:40

Yeah. um, you did all, did you do all your recovery in Maryland before you moved to Florida, or are you still doing therapy, outpatient therapy or anything like that in Florida?

Cody Ridenour: 7:52

Yeah, so I, I moved in 2018 or 18 and uh, and then I was there for like, in, flew up for like a year maybe. And, uh, doing, uh, therapies, uh. Twice, two days a week and, uh, and COVID happened and then therapy for, for like a year c COVID. So, but then I, I tried some more therapy and then I got married and my wife, she took me therapy for, for few years and we just have, just had a baby. So no time for therapy right now. Yeah.

bindwaves-host: 8:33

Sure. Well congratulations on

Cody Ridenour: 8:35

Yeah. Take care.

bindwaves-host: 8:36

having a baby. That's pretty

Cody Ridenour: 8:37

Little girl. Yeah.

bindwaves-host: 8:40

Um, so you just mentioned you got married, so like during your injury. Um. How have your friends and family reacted to the change in your personality after your TBI and your challenges?

Cody Ridenour: 8:53

Yeah. It's funny. My mom, her biggest fear was that I would come out, of the coma different person, I guess, because it's, I guess, happens sometimes people.

bindwaves-host: 9:02

Mm-hmm.

Cody Ridenour: 9:03

Pretty different now after their injury, but I'm, I'm not, I'm no the same I was before, but little slower. I, I'll speak as clearly and, uh, it's like small, small things. But the, the thing, I think, the thing I I chose the most is my, so when, when I woke up from coma, my left side was, was partially paralyzed. My whole left side was partially paralyzed. Like, and uh, it's very common for a stroke. Like Sure. You know? Yeah.

bindwaves-host: 9:32

Okay.

Cody Ridenour: 9:33

So, but left side was partially paralyzed, so my left, uh, even my left side of my tongue was not as strong in my right. So like everything was much harder left side. So, so that's, that's, that's large. Uh, like walking my left leg is, doesn't, is always kind like, drives my, my drives my leg. My right leg drives when I left sometimes.'cause if I, if I would focus on it, will. Like, do what it wants to do, you know?

bindwaves-host: 10:04

Yeah, I can relate to that.

Cody Ridenour: 10:06

Yeah. My right. Both, both, both. Left, left side, left arms and, and legs are now the most, uh, damaged from that. Yeah.

bindwaves-host: 10:16

okay. Um, I know you said that, um, you were pretty big into music before this. Um, do you still, are you still playing the guitar and doing music or.

Cody Ridenour: 10:29

Yeah. I try for. So before I moved to Florida, I was working with some friends and I, one, I wrote one song after the accident, I sang, uh, to one in one song. It's like a song I had had pre previously, like almost finished, but I thought this is a good time to actually finish it with some friends. So everyone's on, it's on YouTube and, uh, but yeah, so those, but since then it's been like, I tried one time, like for a year. A friend to finish some other songs, but it, it was busy, so we're older, so yeah.

bindwaves-host: 11:09

Mm-hmm. So did you have a career before? And then how did your TBI, um, affect that career?

Cody Ridenour: 11:17

Yeah. I was, I'm have a career. I worked like, uh, work. I worked like I, I worked, I was like, I worked a, at a. Clean and like cleaning a cool, clean and cooling company, like doing like paperwork, but nothing like, great, nothing. That was, it was a small job, so,

bindwaves-host: 11:42

Okay.

Cody Ridenour: 11:43

so I didn't have like a career before I was, I was, I was gone. I was like 24. So

bindwaves-host: 11:49

Okay.

Cody Ridenour: 11:50

just starting. Yeah.

bindwaves-host: 11:51

odd jobs around.

Cody Ridenour: 11:52

Yeah.

bindwaves-host: 11:55

And well, what in, this isn't a question that we had written down, but just made me, I just thought about it. What, um, inspired you to write the book?

Cody Ridenour: 12:05

Yeah, so my whole life, well I might always wanted to be a remembered somehow. Like first I thought, may I, I'll play football and be a favorite memory for that. Or then I thought, man, you know, be remembered for my music and like be had. Like a band guy, but no. So, but I, when, basically, when, when I, it was two years after the accident, I thought, man, I should tell this story because it is a crazy story, man. I, I lived through it. So, and I actually had a, I had a kinda like difficult childhood with childhood. I a, like a young, young kid. So I thought I can, I can like help others do this. Like my, my experiences, you know.

bindwaves-host: 12:51

Yeah. So, um, did you struggle with emotional, um, regulation and how did you deal with your anger slash frustration?

Cody Ridenour: 13:02

Oh my gosh. There's like a whole, like a whole

bindwaves-host: 13:04

yeah.

Cody Ridenour: 13:05

like two, yeah, so like two, two temperatures of this book. But man, it's like there was those many years I thought, man, I wish I would've died for my accident, man.'cause my life's too hard now. It's too hard. I can't do it. But. As time went on, I thought, man, I'm, I'm blessed. I'm not dead. No.

bindwaves-host: 13:27

Mm-hmm.

Cody Ridenour: 13:28

But then, so anger, anger, anger was a huge, huge, uh, thing for me at first. I'm sure everyone kind of experienced that from my brain injuries, uh, aspect. But maybe, maybe, maybe in stroke too. But because no, no, no wants a brain injury or a stroke, but, but. And I think, uh, I think support, my support, support system was the strong, hardest, uh, thing for my, uh, my mind. No,

bindwaves-host: 14:03

Yeah, the support systems are good and, and I mean, I know, you know, like you said, you know, probably struggling in the beginning, you know, wishing that we hadn't survived. Whatever we've

Cody Ridenour: 14:13

yeah.

bindwaves-host: 14:14

that life would be easier, but it's not. It's better now that we're still here and you're proof. Look at that. Not only are you still here and thriving, but now you are married and have a sweet little baby,

Cody Ridenour: 14:24

Oh,

bindwaves-host: 14:25

yeah.

Cody Ridenour: 14:26

it's like everything dream came true, but, but not exactly the way I wanted to, but.

bindwaves-host: 14:38

Um, so what coping skills have you had developed to, like, handle your negative emotion, like physical, any other skills in your activities that help tie into that?

Cody Ridenour: 14:53

Yeah, so before, before the accident I was, was very, uh, I always worked out a lot, so like that my, my therapist was always working out or running. I can't run anymore, but I, to try, try to work out like much as I can. Every, never did, but as much as I can. And, uh, that always like give me is me. My blood flow and my, my mind off the bad, uh, thoughts that a lot, lot bad thoughts come. So, but as, as time went on, I definitely think time is a good medicine for this, you know. But yeah, I think, I think as far as, um, uh, well, my wife and I kind of learn that if we just take. Three. Deep, deep, deep breath. Three, three, uh, depth, deep, deep breaths. Man, you changed your mind. You can,

bindwaves-host: 15:56

Yeah, I'm sure writing the book was therapeutic as well. Um.

Cody Ridenour: 16:01

yeah. Amazing. Because man, like ly when my, my child was a little bit, uh, traumatic, so, and that those thoughts didn't come to mind until after. With the book.'cause I kind of, uh, I guess I blocked them out. And then when I'm back, finally I finally like got him back and he was like, he's like very therapeutic, therapeutic to let go, you know, finally let go.

bindwaves-host: 16:30

Okay, Cody, I'm gonna take a real quick break for a second and just remind our listeners as they're listening to, go ahead and click that like button, that share button. If you're on YouTube, click that notify button. Just click all the buttons. And, um, so I'm gonna go, I'm gonna go back a little bit. So I was thinking about this because I had my stroke, I mean, I was awake for all of it there. It things got cloudy when I got to the hospital. Like I don't remember. Everything that happened, but I didn't, wasn't in a coma or anything like that. I have some, some memories that, yeah, my parents have to tell me, well, yeah, you acted like this or you did that, but I don't remember all of that. And I know you shared with us the news footage of you being airlifted from the beach or wherever you were, you know, outta there. So what in, what did you think when you watched that for the first time?

Cody Ridenour: 17:26

Yes. I, and man, gosh, this was like many years ago. That many, it's quite so to, in the book I explained that I no idea what was, what hap what happened like for many year, many months.

bindwaves-host: 17:38

Mm-hmm.

Cody Ridenour: 17:39

cause as I was like, I, when I flew, I flew from Maryland to California. I, I, I drove from Maryland and my, I, I think everyone's, uh, home to Maryland. I was very drugged out for, for that flight.'cause man, I was, I was like, my body taught about moving for, for a while, you know? So when, when I got finally back to Maryland, uh, after like, um, mark came, has more coherent, my brother, uh, finally explained to me what happened. And then that the video, I say the video didn't like come back to YouTube for like many, many. A year or two, then someone found it on YouTube and then that's when I finally understood the whole like thing. What happened? No, everything happened. Apparently probably I was having seizures and, and the A left, so it was crazy. Yeah.

bindwaves-host: 18:42

Oh yeah, definitely.

Cody Ridenour: 18:44

Yeah. I'm never at all. Was hike, I, I took a picture of a old bridge and a cross and the hike and Snapchat it to my brothers, and that's I,

bindwaves-host: 19:00

Wow. Mm-hmm. Um, so what is one piece of advice that you have learned from your accident?

Cody Ridenour: 19:08

and then I guess. I think the thing I learned the most is that support systems are very vital for, and trauma, and also faith command. Once I, once I really understood what God did for me and what he, how much he loves us, man, I'm gonna change. I'm gonna change for.

bindwaves-host: 19:44

That's good. That's very powerful. Um, well, Cody, we wanna thank you for your time today and coming on and sharing your story and being that motivation that we all need. Um, sometimes it's hard. We think we're out there alone, but we're not. There's lots of us out there dealing with these struggles and we wanna help provide as much, um, joy and support and goodwill to those in our same situation. So we're glad you came on and shared your story with us today. Yeah, thank you. And our listeners. Oh, we go ahead.

Cody Ridenour: 20:21

I hope you can see like a, like a, a link to the book. I'd love people to see that too.'cause it's much more in, in depth in the book. No.

bindwaves-host: 20:31

Sure. Okay. We, what we'll do is we'll, um, we'll mention it. Links don't really work in everything that we have, but we will mention it and we'll send you link of the YouTube, um, video and then you can share that with wherever you wanna share it, with your link, with both links as well.

Cody Ridenour: 20:49

Yeah. Thank you.

bindwaves-host: 20:51

But to make sure, but just to make sure we did get the name of the book correctly, it is Five Stories Down. Sometimes You Must Fall To Rise.

Cody Ridenour: 20:59

Yes, amen.

bindwaves-host: 20:59

Okay. those of you that are listening, that is the name of um Cody's book. And again, his name will be spelled out and we will mention the book in the description as well. So

Cody Ridenour: 21:08

Yeah. Sweet.

bindwaves-host: 21:09

have that out there. And remember, you can find all our episodes on all the platforms. Until next time. Until next time.

Rick: 21:18

We hope you've enjoyed listening to bindwaves and continue to support Brain Injury Network in our nonprofit mission, we support brain injury survivors as they reconnect into life, the community, and the workplace. And we couldn't do that without great listeners like you. We appreciate each and every one of you. Please remember to click the like button, the share button, and the subscribe button on YouTube. And follow us on Instagram@bindwaves and Brain Injury Network on Facebook. You can email us at bindwaves@thebind.org or go to our website bindwaves.org or call us at(972) 769-2463. Please continue watching. Until next time.