PHOENIX — A Scottsdale man is in recovery after falling several hundred feet from Mt. Hood in Oregon this summer.
Chris Zwierzynski, 55, said he made it a goal to climb all the highest points in every state when he turned 50.
"I've been doing mostly the western states the last few years because those are the harder states to climb," Zwierzynski said. "I want to do that while I'm still young."
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Zwierzynski fell 700 feet on Mount Hood in Oregon on July 6 and had to be airlifted to a hospital by the Oregon National Guard.
"This doesn't happen to everybody, all the doctors, well, most of the doctors that I talk to, my friends, my family, everyone's using the word miracle like I'm some kind of miracle for having survived this fall," Zwierzynski said. "Maybe I am."
Chris Zwierzynski said "If that's the case", he wanted to share his story and help give others hope.
Laurie Zwierzynski, Chris's wife, was also in Oregon with her husband at a friend's home when she got the call.
"I don't remember a lot of it, just because I was in shock," Laurie said. "I didn't know what happened, I didn't know what's going on, and the only thing I could do was pray and trust that God had this and keep going forward."
Laurie said her husband was hardly recognizable when she saw him in the hospital.
"His eyes were swollen shut. [His] eye sockets were broken," Laurie recalled. "His nose was broken in two places. He had two brain bleeds and a concussion."
Chris also sustained broken ribs and a broken ankle, however, he said his injuries were secondary to his concern about his family.
"When I was laying in the hospital, my concern was for my family, because I [couldn't] imagine what they were going through," Chris said.
Chris and Laurie said they've gotten a lot of support from the community and friends and noted one of the things that got them through the experience was positive thinking and faith.
"I was putting goals on myself as I was laying in the hospital room, 'I'm gonna be discharged on Monday, I'm gonna be walking on this day, I'm gonna be getting up and doing this on this day,' Chris said.
"He could have been brain dead, he could have been paralyzed, he could have [gotten] amnesia," Laurie said. "All different things could have happened that didn't. And I praise God for that every day."
Chris said when he gets better, he plans to tackle Mt. Hood again.
"I'll probably contact one of the guides and have them go with me, just so I don't tempt fate," Chris said "But I think it definitely is doable."
The family has set up a GoFundMe to help with medical expenses.
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