By Stephen Seitz
KILLINGTON—Longtime Killington resident Bob Burke is recovering nicely at home following a ski accident last winter.
“He came home two weeks ago,” his wife Debbie said. “Thanks to help from the Rotary Club, renovations to the house are finished. I’m especially grateful to Jack Pelletier and Jay Hickory. I had to buy the materials, but all the work was done by volunteers.”
Burke was skiing along Killington’s Panic Button trail when he ran into some trees. Burke broke 13 ribs and three vertebrae, suffered a punctured lung and sustained spinal damage. He first went to Rutland Regional, then to Dartmouth-Hitchcock, and ultimately the Spaulding Rehab Center in Charlestown, Mass.
“He’s getting stronger…lifting weights, and some of his lower body is waking up. We’re optimistic he’ll walk again,” said Debbie.
Besides the exercises, Burke receives physical and occupational therapy from RAVNAH.
“His mood is good,” she said. “He’s very optimistic and looking toward the future. If he gets his back strong enough, he’ll definitely go skiing again.”
