In the last few days American alpine skier Cody Marshall has taken some big strides toward recovering from a serious head injury. Ski Racing caught up with his older brother, former U.S. Ski Team member, Jesse to get his first-hand account of Cody’s recent milestones.  

Cody Marshall has been hospitalized since July 16 when the 26-year-old, Vermont native suffered a head injury after falling over 20 feet from a downtown Park City, Utah escalator. Since the accident Jesse and his younger sister Chelsea, a current member of the national team, have rarely left Cody’s side.
In the last few days American alpine skier Cody Marshall has taken some big strides toward recovering from a serious head injury. Ski Racing caught up with his older brother, former U.S. Ski Team member, Jesse to get his first-hand account of Cody’s recent milestones.  

Cody Marshall has been hospitalized since July 16 when the 26-year-old, Vermont native suffered a head injury after falling over 20 feet from a downtown Park City, Utah escalator. Since the accident Jesse and his younger sister Chelsea, a current member of the national team, have rarely left Cody’s side. 

According to Jesse, Cody is now taking short walks, eating on his own, understanding and communicating and sleeping better. “He’s doing more now than just responding to external stimulus he’s giving a thumbs up, recognizing people, moving around more on his own which is all absolutely incredible,” said Jesse. “With all that being said, Cody still has a long way to go.”

“Overall it’s been an absolute miracle,” said Jesse, who heard the news of Cody’s accident at around midnight on the 16 and was on a plane to Salt Lake City six hours later. “When I flew in on Thursday morning it was very unclear if Cody was going to live. From that morning, talking to the doctors as they prepared Chelsea and I for the worst, to now, where he is up and around and swearing at everybody has been a miracle.”

The Marshall family meets with doctors tomorrow to plan the next few weeks of Cody’s treatment, which is music to their ears after the minute-to-minute existence of the first 72 hours following the accident. “Everyone in the medical community that I have talked to has just been blown away with the progress that has been made in such a short amount of time,” Jesse said. “There are people who have been working in the neurological critical care unit for 15 years and they have never seen anything quite like Cody.”

Jesse cited Cody’s drive and determination in ski racing as a “huge factor” in his fast recovery.  “He made the team when he was 24, that’s unusual, and it’s his determination that took him there and that made him keep trying when a lot of people where telling him he was too old and couldn’t do it, he proved a lot of people wrong,” said Jesse. “In this recovery that determination is playing a vital role.”

Support for the Marshalls has poured in from all around the ski racing community. Perhaps a catalyst for some of his recent progress was the visit he received from U.S. ski racing legend Phil Mahre. According to Marshall’s blog, Mahre spent over an hour at his bedside. Encouragement from teammate T.J. Lanning during a recent therapy session also appeared to break through to Marshall who, due to his healing brain injury, is currently exhibiting the communication skills of a toddler.

Many U.S. Ski Team athletes, coaches and staff have made their way to Marshall’s room at the University Hospital in Salt Lake City to show their support. “The support that we have received has been absolutely incredible,” said Jesse. “ It’s something that I’ve never thought about before and, being in the moment, it’s not something that you can process.”

Since the accident interest in Marshall’s progress has snowballed across the world. The blog has invited supporters from around the globe to leave comments for Cody, which are read to him each night. The interest in the blog blossomed into an entire website called www.thinkcody.com.

“When I started reading the comments on the blog I was blown away by how far reaching Cody’s personality and his spirit has touched people,” said Jesse. “People’s comments on the blog helped me personally through the toughest times and obviously they’ve helped Cody.”

Marshall’s supporters are now showing their love with more than just words and cookies. Through the website fans can purchase “Think Cody” t-shirts to contribute to his already mounting and future medical costs. “The t-shirts we thought was a great way to contribute to Cody’s recovery and also share the story of what an amazing person Cody truly is and the struggle he’s facing now,” said Jesse.

Jesse is also quick to credit the medical staff surrounding Cody. “The compassion they have shown is awe-inspiring,” he said. “They have really taken it to another level.”

One of the toughest decisions Chelsea has faced since the accident was whether or not to join her teammates at pre-season training in New Zealand next week. Encouraged by Cody’s progress, she has decided to go on the trip.

“Chelsea has been absolutely amazing. The time that she has spent outside of the hospital in the past two weeks adds up to just a couple of hours. It has taken a lot of convincing and reassurance from the doctors to get her to go,” said Jesse. “I’ll be calling her to confirm that she’s actually at the airport.”

Jesse, who describes Cody as a very carefree, full of live and fun loving person, remains resolute that his younger brother will compete on skis again. “I don’t think we could keep Cody away from the snow if we tried,” he said. “I just know getting back on the slopes is in his mind somewhere.”

To learn more about Marshall, keep tabs on his progress or contribute go to www.thinkcody.com.