Barbara Lawlor, Nederland. It has been a couple of weeks since Miles Pancoast, 18, returned to Nederland. Life for him and his family has settled into a routine of physical therapy, school, and daily medical procedures.

He has also found his way back to hanging out with friends, going to basketball games, and being a teenaged young man preparing for life after high school.

In October, Miles suffered a spinal cord injury when the truck he was driving spun out of control due to a steering malfunction and rolled off the Peak to Peak north of Rollinsville. Miles was ejected through the smashed windshield.

After surgery at St. Anthony's Hospital, he was transferred to Craig Hospital in Denver, a facility that assists people with spinal cord injuries rehabilitate in their quest to move forward in their life. Leaving the nurturing, 24/7 support of Craig was a huge and daunting milestone.

On Sunday afternoon, February 22, Miles and his mom, sister, and girlfriend shared what he has accomplished and what he hopes to achieve.

Leaning back in a high tech wheelchair in front of a cheery fire in the woodburning stove, Miles is wrapped in scarves and blankets, fighting a chill. The room, covered in gleaming hardwood flooring and wide spaces between furniture, gives him ample freedom to move around the A-frame.

Much preparation went into making their new home wheelchair-accessible. Ramps were built, the carpet removed, and doors widened. On Sunday afternoon, Miles' sister Mazie, his girlfriend Addie Jacoby, and his mom Bee Brogan gathered in the living room, bringing out snacks and drinks and talking about what has happened and the possibilities for the future.

In the ICU at St. Anthony's Miles was told that his spinal cord was severely injured and he probably wouldn't walk again. Although the spinal cord was not severed, any injury to the spinal cord can result in no interaction with the brain.

Bee says at that point nobody really knew what would happen. They were fighting to save Miles' life. His spine was fused from C2-C7 to stabilize the spinal cord attending to breathing functions. At first he was told he would be on a ventilator but he ended up being able to breathe on his own.

His blood pressure, which was usually lower than normal because of his training as an athlete, had to be raised to pump blood to the injury site.

At this point Bee was scared. "The concept of him not walking hadn't hit me yet. We were fighting for his life."

During this time at St. Anthony's Miles did not lose consciousness, but he became disoriented and had hallucinations. Bee was afraid he had a brain injury, but most of the reactions were medication-related.

Bee is a Certified Nurse's Assistant and began taking notes on what she heard and saw and then researched medications. "The doctors were receptive to discussion. Only you know when your child is acting different and when he says he is not feeling well, he means it. Being experienced at caregiving made me more comfortable, but when it is your own child in a life-changing injury, it is an entirely different situation."

While in St. Anthony's, Miles gained movement in his arms, but had no control of them. He could lift them, but they would fall back down. At Craig Hospital, he was given a skateboard-like rest for his arms that was placed on a tray across his chest, enabling his arms to go back and forth.

Mazie remembers that the first time she saw him move his arms on the board was her 15th birthday. That movement was her best present.

Miles' shoulder began to give him trouble and he told Bee he thought it was dislocated. The pain became so bad, he had to quit the skateboard therapy until his shoulder healed.

Slowly, but with determined effort, Miles achieved the ability to feed himself. "That was one of my best moments," he says. Bee had been worrying about his weight loss. At the time of the accident Miles weighed a lean 145 pounds, an athlete's sinewy build. Within two months he was down to 112 pounds.

"He had no appetite at first. It was the scariest thing, a failure to thrive. I kept telling myself this wasn't happening, this is not going to happen and would get him to take one bite, then two."

There were no dietary restrictions, but Miles was not excited about food until he was able to grab a fork and direct a piece of pineapple to his mouth. "I don't even have to look now," he says.

After gaining strength and control of his arms, he worked on range of motion to rebuild the muscles. He says it was frustrating, "But I never had a choice. I knew I had keep it at it. I had to push through."

The major milestone in his therapy was getting into a wheelchair, the door to mobility. At first he had to kind of punch an oval knob on the side of the arms, but now he uses the control buttons. Last week he discovered he could wiggle his thumb and use more precise movements. He has an iPhone and can send text messages, a confirmed necessity for teens.

Three weeks ago, during Christmas break, he was able to wiggle his toes, a major breakthrough.

"My arms mostly feel like they are asleep," he says. "But when they are rubbed, it hurts." One of the health issues that plagues Miles is frequent urinary tract infections which are common with a bladder catheter. At Craig, Bee and Mazie and Addie all learned how to diagnose the issue and fix the problem.

It is not exactly pain that Miles experiences but his body reacts and tells him something is wrong. It could be a rash, a fever, or a headache but he knows when he needs help. The protocol is to check the catheter, bladder, bowel and then the skin.

When he first knew he was going home from Craig, he was panicked by no longer having his medical support group. Dealing with bladder and kidney stones made him and his mom realize how fragile his health was. He was supposed to have come home on January 5, but then Craig decided to keep him for another month.

"I was glad he was there longer," says Bee. "I was like a deer in the headlights on January 5, but now I am comfortable having him here. We are ready to be on our own."

Miles says he will miss playing Yahtzee with one of the attendants, even though she "kicked my butt." He will miss the friends he made, other patients who were in like situations.

"We didn't have to discuss what happened to us. It was nice to talk to someone and not talk about the accident. We all just accepted it."

Miles says it hard when people look at his situation, that he can't walk, and he can see that they think he is different and he has to deal with that reaction.

"But he is patient and accepting of questions," says Bee. "This is an injury to his body, not his mind. He is the same person, caring and wanting to help others. This is the way he was before the accident and the way he is now, always thinking of others before himself."

Miles' football coach Aaron Jones was one of the people to see him in the hospital. He was there the afternoon after his accident, while some big decisions needed to be made quickly about his immediate and long term care. With several doctors in the room, the tone was dire and serious and tough.

"Miles was the clearest out of all of us in the tiny room. I watched his eyes focus and I could see him listening to every frightening word spoken to him. The doctor explained that Miles had to give final consent for the treatment plan. His sister Sky and I held his hand while the doctor explained the severity of the spinal cord injury and revealed that the surgery could result in his death. It was one of the most powerful moments of my life. Powerful, yes, because he chose me to experience it with him and more powerful because of the courage he displayed as he listened and agreed to take the chance on surgery.

"I could never forget that afternoon. I will draw on his courage as inspiration in my life. From him I learned to face reality, look challenge in the eye and go forward."

Miles has attended Nederland schools since kindergarten and is known as being a positive young man who is always compassionate, concerned about how other people feel. His girl friend Addie remembers that when they first talked about his injuries and what to expect, the first thing he asked her was, "Are you okay with that?"

Addie and Miles have been together for the past year and since the accident she has foregone her previous typical teenage life to learn to be with and help Miles as much as she can.

When Miles grew warm enough and removed his hat and blanket, Addie and Mazie rubbed his head, one of the sensory treatments he enjoys. He reclines, closes his eyes and smiles.

At the time of the accident, Bee was employed at Black Hawk casino. Continuing to work was not an option. She knew Miles would need her full time, at least during his rehabilitation. She is now a part-time para-educator at Nederland Middle Senior High School.

"I am so appreciative of this opportunity. One of the hardest things was not working and spinal cord injuries cost an average of $125,000 a year."

A physical therapist from Nederland visits Miles on Monday and Friday; an occupational therapist comes on Thursdays and Miles attends a half day of school every day. Sometimes blood pressure issues will keep him home.

Because he is close to the Nederland shopping center and downtown area, friends drop in and out all the time. "To do normal stuff," says Miles. Sometimes they go to Wild Mountain Smokehouse or Kathmandu to eat because Miles can get there himself. His friends have all been instructed on what to do if there is a health problem.

Fluids are still important. Dehydration is common with spinal cord injuries. Sometimes there is a spike in temperature.

At home, Miles works toward being upright in a standing frame which arrived recently. He works on it about half an hour a day. The machine holds him up, which encourages his muscles to come back and his balance to improve.

He is gaining strength in his arms and can now put them behind him and hold himself in a sitting position. Whenever something starts to come back, he works on strengthening it. Since his thumb wiggled, he has been pushing it to move and he says it now moves like a joint should.

After he becomes proficient with the walker, he will move forward, one step at a time.

Bee says no one knows what the prognosis is, but she knows Miles will not give up and will not get down about it.

"He has never had a 'what's the use' attitude. He gets up to face every day and I am so proud of him. After 18 years of independence, he's going through life-changing events with courage and hope."

Coach Jones says it is hard to imagine what Miles is experiencing as his senior year winds down, and what he is not experiencing.

"I try and imagine myself in his position and it's impossible. It's his senior year, the biggest year of many people's lives, but it is the biggest year of Miles' life for a different reason. He could spend his time angry. Bitter. Lost. Frightened. Hopeless. But he holds on to hope for a better tomorrow.

"He is genuinely interested in maintaining his relationships, never forgetting to ask, ‘How are you?' even when he should be focused on himself."

Miles plans to graduate in May with his classmates. He is taking a Current World Events class and Mythology, and plans to go to college in the fall. He says he is thinking of Front Range Community College, or maybe even Colorado Mountain College.

"We'll see if I'm ready to leave home then," he says. "Time will tell."

Bee says she is definitely not ready for him to leave home, but time will tell.

Miles plans to study Wildlife Management. Fishing is one of his strongest passions. When he was little and asked what kind of toys he wanted, he would ask for a new lure. Before the ice melts he plans to go ice fishing with his friend Connor Demo and Connor's dad. He also anticipates talking to Ignite Adaptive Sports about their program.

At first after the accident, time passed slowly, but now Miles says there aren't enough hours in the day and for that he is grateful. His sister Mazie, a freshman at NMSHS, says her time at school goes slowly; she is eager to get home to see Miles. She says her whole outlook on life has changed. "Things can change in a second and you have to be mindful of that and cherish every day. I am more thankful that he is here than anything."

As Miles gets out and about more, Bee says she would encourage people to talk to him and ask him questions. "He doesn't complain and would rather have people treat him like the Miles he has always been."

Because he is still Miles.

Coach Jones says, "The truth is…Miles is still right there in front of us. The real Miles. His body may be suffering and fighting to turn back on, but Miles and his spirit remain constant and unwavering.

"There is no doubt in my mind that Miles struggles, that he feels pain and is sad. But he pushes on. When I think of the idea of Superman, I will now and forever picture Miles.

"When I see how strong he is, it inspires me to stop my own complaining in life. When I see Miles crack a joke at his own expense, it humbles me as I laugh with him. What I start to realize is that I can see through the wires and tubes and past his chair and past the accident and all that stuff fades out. When I see Miles today in class, I see Miles. He's still here and I'm so thankful for that."

At the last basketball game of the season, last Thursday night, Miles watched the game and cheered on the team he would have played with. He was honored at halftime and given a jersey with the team's signatures. He followed the team in the line to shake the other team's hands after the game.

He said it was hard to watch the game and not play, but it was also good to be there, being a part of the life that once was and still is his to own.