Doctors mystified by "Miracle Man" Demic is swimming his way to recovery after fall from roof

Author: Amanda Cormier

Four months after surviving the 40-foot fall that endangered his limbs and life, Robert Demic of Bristol is one step closer to reaching the goal he set in June - to tap dance by July of 2009.

Last Friday, Demic, who the Addison County Independent called, "The Miracle Man," did something that his doctors never saw in his future. He swam laps at the Mount Abraham High School pool - with both legs intact.

"I'm really driven and hopeful about getting back to being able to tap dance," he said. "That is long and slow and seems really far away, because my right leg in particular has some pretty severe damage."

On June 9, the 55 year-old Bristol contractor stood in the middle of the roof of Wild Mountain Thyme on Main Street. He was taking pictures of the sidings of the building for the Vermont Historical Society.

What happened next is still unclear to Demic - he remembers being knocked off the roof by "some sort of strong electrical shock" and waking up in a narrow muddy ledge near the falls of Otter Creek. He remembers feeling disoriented and wondering why he could not walk.

"That's when I saw my tibia and fibula sticking out of my right leg," he said.

The shock of falling 40 feet, coupled with severe injuries - a severed artery in the leg, broken collarbone, several bone fractures, burns and brain trauma - left Demic stranded. But just as Demic was slipping towards the falls, a good friend and coworker, Darren Curler, happened to stop by Wild Mountain Thyme to visit him. Seeing his friend struggling, Curler jumped into the water and pulled Demic out, tending to his injuries until a rescue crew arrived.

Throughout the pain of his extensive injuries and bouts of unconsciousness, all Demic could think about was his right leg. Doctors at Porter Hospital, and Fletcher Allen Health Care Center in Burlington, where Demic was later transported, suggested that his right leg needed to be amputated. But Demic refused.

"The pain doesn't mean nearly as much as my leg does," said Demic.

The doctors then approached Demic's wife, Barbara, with the decision of whether to amputate the leg. She gave the same reply.

"They approached [Barbara] and said 'blah blah blah, amputation, blah blah blah, amputation,'" Demic said. "And she said, 'Wait a minute - you're telling me you're going to cut off my husband's leg? Well, he will kill himself first.'"

Always an avid athlete before the accident, Demic decided to take a tap class on a whim at the age of 38. At the time, he was working particularly hard at his contracting job, and wanted to try something new. After watching a Fred Astaire movie, Demic was inspired to challenge his body with a different form of expression.

"I said, 'You know, I think I can do that,'" said Demic. The change from athletics to dance was not easy on his body, but he found himself constantly working to improve. And, being one of few adult males in the Addison County tap scene, his efforts quickly paid off.

"As a rather immature tap dancer but one who was very energetic and excited, I auditioned and was accepted for [a production of] 'Anything Goes' in Burlington," Demic said. "Once I did that, I was hooked."

After his first show, Demic danced for a half-hour each day and began to get involved in community theater productions. At the time of the accident, Demic was planning on doing something "big" with his tapping, a large performance or show. The prospect still motivates him.

"As your competency grows in tapping, your freedom to express yourself in a physical manner also grows," he said. "That's very exhilarating and also humbling when you see someone who's really good at it."

After a few years of growing involvement in the musical theater community, Vergennes Union High School asked him to direct one of its musicals. He ended up staying there for 13 years.

After several difficult operations, Demic stayed in Fanny Allen Rehabilitation Center, where he was bombarded with concerned visitors - many of whom he had initially met through the Middlebury Players and other local groups.

"That was overwhelming from the get-go, but it did make a difference in my sense of hope," he said. "There were a few times in the experience where I was really facing death in a lot of different ways. I didn't even know at some times whether I wanted to go on or not. The fact that the community did show up made a huge difference."

When he was released from the rehabilitation center, Demic began the process of reaching his tap dancing goal. Demic's recovery regime involves a vigorous physical therapy and follow-ups with doctors, which were not covered by insurance as he was self-employed at the time.

The Middlebury musical theater community stepped in to help with medical costs through several benefits and fundraisers during the summer and into the fall. But he also received help from people he never knew.

"I received a very touching letter and some money from a family with a young girl who got hooked on musicals by coming to Vergennes [Union High School] musicals," he said.

Demic said he is grateful for the emotional and financial support the community continues to give him, and is currently working on pushing his physical limits to reach his goal. And just like his late foray into the world of tap dancing, the challenges Demic's body faces require him to work every day.

"I made progress really fast and I overcame a lot of obstacles, but now I've hit [a plateau]," he said. "Getting my leg to bend is a serious problem because of the amount of scar tissue."

But he refuses to accept failure in the same steadfast manner he refused amputation four months ago.

"I started dancing with my left leg just being a thumper," said Demic. "I can at least go up and down with a thump and try to get my right foot to do things."

"But I do believe that I'll be able to tap dance again. Anything short of that is unacceptable."