ALICE, Texas — In late July, Guss Trejo woke up at Driscoll Children’s Hospital. Last thing he remembered, he was riding a four-wheeler with his brother.
“I go flipping three times on the four-wheeler, and the four-wheeler lands on me three times. It crushes my pelvis, broke bones in my back, collapsed my lungs, and I got a concussion. I was unconscious for about 15 minutes, they told me,” Trejo said.
Trejo had swerved to avoid his dog running in front of him. His injuries left him in a wheelchair.
“The doctors told me the surgery was very rigorous, and that not a lot of people are able to walk afterwards,” he said.
But Trejo was determined to walk, and even run, again.
“He was obviously distraught that he didn’t get to play football this year. But, he was at the practices, he was a part of the team, and just about every day he showed up, telling me, ‘hey coach, I’m gonna be ready for track, I’m gonna be ready for track,’” said Alice head track coach Kory Atwood. "And he’s sitting here in a wheelchair, so you’re thinking, ‘is he gonna be?’”
It was a slow process back.
“I was in a wheelchair for about three months,” Trejo said. “I slowly had to regain muscle in my legs, standing up for 15 minutes, eventually taking steps one by one.”
In December, five months after his accident, Trejo was cleared to start practicing.
“I told myself that I was going to make it back for track and show them I can still run,” he said.
Not only is Trejo competing in his sophomore season, he’s excelling. He has already broken his personal record in his 4x400 meter relay split, and he’s about one second off of a PR for the 400 meter.
“There’s no doubt in my mind he’s going to PR this year, and he’s going to continue to get faster,” Atwood said. “It’s been an inspiration to myself and the a bunch of these guys.”
Trejo credits his doctors, family, coaches, and God for getting him back to where he is.
He said his goal is to cut four seconds off his 400 time, and three seconds of his 4x400 time.
