For decades, David Rivera has been a hardworking, dedicated breadwinner for his family. As a pipe fitter for an oil rig, Rivera’s job was hands on and stressful at times, but it was worth it knowing he was taking care of his family. In 2023, while Rivera and his wife were out looking for a new home to purchase, he ran a red light and was T-boned by another vehicle. They were hit on the driver side, so he received the brunt of the impact.
“I remember it all,” he says. “The airbag blew, and I couldn’t move. Next thing I know I was in the ambulance.”
Rivera was taken to Harris Health Lyndon B. Johnson Hospital, with a broken sternum and ribs.
“I have a disease that my bones break easily, so it was hard on me,” he says. “The sternum injury hurt the most though. Imagine trying to breathe with your chest broken.”
Rivera was in the hospital for a week.
“The doctors were really good,” he says. “They sent me home with a machine that I had to breathe into to keep my lungs working. The doctors were worried about me getting pneumonia, so they would call and check up on me to see how I was doing.”
During Rivera’s recovery he was determined to get back to his active state before the accident.
“I was bedridden and didn’t like it, so I would try and get up and walk and move around,” he says. “I’ve always been a fighter.”
Rivera eventually went back to work, but had a setback that landed him back at LBJ Hospital.
“I woke up one day and was paralyzed on one side of my body,” he says. “I later found out I had a stroke due to my high blood pressure.”
Though his life changed with the car accident, it was the stroke during recovery that was the turning point for Rivera.
“I lived at work, and I think I pushed my body too much,” he says. “But I slowed down after that.”
Rivera is back in recovery and working with his physical therapist. He’s not rushing back to work, but enjoys spending time with his family.
“I want to be here for my family and spend time with my grandkids,” he says. “My advice to others would be to try and live a stress-free life. I get it now.”