How the Regional One Health Trauma Team Got James Light Back on His Feet
Thanks to the curiosity of the colt he was breaking and the highly skilled trauma team at Regional One Health, James Light, former owner and operator of the Memories of Elvis gift shop, is back on his feet and back in the saddle.
It was only 200 yards to the fence. On a normal day, James wouldn’t have a problem covering the distance across the pasture where he was spending his day breaking a horse.
But on this day, crossing that muddy field in Eads, Tennessee, to get to the fence where his cell phone sat in the truck would be one of the most difficult journeys of James’ life.
The colt James was breaking had begun bucking. As James jumped off, he slipped in the mud and fell to his back.
The horse followed, falling directly onto James’ lap. When James rolled over to get up, nothing happened. His pelvis was severely crushed.
But the colt, out of curiosity, returned to James and lowered his head to examine the situation. That’s when James grabbed the horse’s bridle. Spooked, the horse jumped back and pulled James to a standing position in the process.
That was good. What wasn’t so good was that James could only inch his way to the fence. It took two hours to cover those 200 yards to his phone and a connection to help.
When the paramedics arrived, they strapped James into a stretcher while he was still standing. He was immediately transported to the Elvis Presley Trauma Center at Regional Medical Center where the trauma team went to work repairing his broken body.
“The Lord has blessed me with another day,” James says. “I was 68 then. I’m 71 now. I received nothing but excellent care. It was perfect. The amazing work of the doctors and nurses had me back walking and riding horses much faster than anyone thought possible.”
Even a small gift can have a lasting impact on the lives of people like James Light and his wife, Carol. Help our Foundation fund the research, training and equipment that got James back on his feet.
James Light and his wife, Carol, are avid Elvis fans. The couple owned and operated Memories of Elvis gift shop for 29 years. James recalls fond memories of times he spent with Elvis. “I was part of a five-person team that drove a bus for Elvis and his entourage, affectionately called the Memphis Mafia. One night, I had the pleasure of driving the group to the Orpheum Theatre to watch movies. I remember thinking what a polite person Elvis was. He was a down-to-earth human being.”