On May 1, Plymouth High School student Alex Rostron, then a junior, was in a single­car accident and hospitalized for two months.

Drugs and alcohol were not a factor in the prom­ night crash, and fortunately no one else was hurt. But Alex, after extricating himself from the car where it flipped and rolled off Veteran’s Parkway, passed out and lay in the rain until a hunter found him at sunrise.

“We, and his date, were frantically calling him because he never missed curfew before,” said Shelly Rostron, Alex’s mom and a chemist for O’TECH. “Tom and I got in our car and drove around town looking for him and, when we got back, the police were in our driveway.”

After the worst moments of their lives, the Rostons found out their son was still alive but with a fractured skull and deeply unconscious. He remained so for weeks and the recovery process is slow, not like in the movies, she said.

The Rostrons have learned a lot about traumatic brain injury (TBI) in the past months. Every brain is different and the healing process is different for every patient and cannot be predicted, she said.

“Alex continues to improve each day,” she said. “When he left Memorial Hospital at the end of May, he was not able to walk, talk, or perform activities of daily living. It was a scary time for us.”

From South Bend’s Memorial, Alex started in­patient rehabilitation at Mary Free Bed in Grand Rapids, Mich. “He worked hard every day,” Rostron said. “He learned to talk, eat and eventually walk again. The doctors informed the family that brain is the longest organ to heal. Sometimes it can take 12­-18 months to heal.”

During this healing process, Rostron has taken a leave of absence from work to help with the various doctor appointments, and physical and speech therapy necessary after a traumatic brain injury, she said.

Alex was released from Mary Free Bed in mid-July and is able to return to school.

PHS cross country coach Curtis Nordmann said, “He is making a great recovery and has been able to return to school to finish his senior year. Best of all, Alex can continue to run on the cross ­country team.”

Naturally, the medical bills are mounting and the Rostons have shifted to one­ income, so Nordmann thought a fundraising 5k would be a great tribute to Alex, a long­term member of the team.

“Alex is a great kid and the whole team has been visiting him in the hospital, bringing meals and checking up on him,” he said. “We’re so grateful to have him back and want to help the family any way we can.”

The event is open to all to walk or run 10 a.m. Aug. 20 at Plymouth High School. The race fee is $20 for adults and $15 for students, which includes a t­shirt.

All proceeds from the race will go to help the family. Additionally, Bruce’s “Big Grill” BBQ sandwiches will be available for lunch for $6 at the event. There will also be bake sale items available for sale on race day, and a hand sewn quilt by Rostron’s cousin Karen Gibson will be raffled off after the race ­­ 3 tickets for $2 or 10 tickets for $5.

For those interested in helping the family, but cannot make the event, there is a Go Fund Me account at: https://www.gofundme.com/captainalexrostron and friends can bring meals to the family by signing up at https://www.takethemameal.com/ and entering the name “Rostron” and the code 4446.

Ways to Help:
1) Run or walk the 5k
2) Make a donation
3) Get the word out to family, friends, churches, etc. SHARE POST
4) Provide baked goods for the Bake Sale
5) Enjoy lunch by purchasing Bruce’s “Big Grill” pulled pork sandwiches for $6. (both pre­sale tickets and day­of purchases are available)
6) Participate in the raffle for the hand­sewn quilt

There are two ways to register for the 5k:

1) Fill out THIS FORM to register:

https://docs.google.com/…/1FAIpQLScFAZF0vvS2S8z3B8…/viewform

2) Go to https://www.dropbox.com/sh/nf5tkydaerk0931/AAB_PY7_Fr22cbaJkfjqVMAma?dl=0.

Simply print and fill it out and return it with your payment/donation to: Plymouth High School. Attn.: Curtis Nordmann, 1 Big Red Drive, Plymouth, IN 46563.
(Make checks out to Plymouth High School)
If you have any questions, please feel free to email Curtis Nordmann at: [email protected].