Chris Fuqua knows first-hand the importance of having a good life insurance and disability policy.
Chris was almost killed on May 27th, 2005 when he was assaulted in North Dakota while attending a wedding party. Chris was not drinking, but a fight broke out between several others, and Chris was hit without provocation from behind by an unidentified assailant. As a result Chris sustained a severe brain injury that left him in a coma.
Shortly after the assault Chris’s mother wrote:
Given Chris’ initial Glasgow Coma Scale of 4, statistics show that only 20% of patients emitted to an emergency room come out alive with his condition. Chris has survived the crisis phase. There are still many factors that can affect the morbidity of a person with Chris’s injury.
Chris’ first danger is Hypoxia or Anoxia (getting little or no oxygen) due to the very high pressure that built up in his brain between the time he was injured and the time his first surgery was performed. This time was about 7 hours. In this condition, the pressure in the brain can be higher or equal to the blood pressure, thus no or little oxygen flow to the brain. There are NO tests that can tell us if this condition has occurred.
Weeks after the initial accident Chris’s mother was told (by one of the staff in a North Dakota hospital) that she should send her son to a nursing home, and that he would likely spend the rest of his life in that type of setting. For three weeks Chris was in a coma, and needed a ventilator to breathe.
After recovering to the point that he could start therapies, Chris participated in inpatient rehab for many weeks in North Dakota, until be was healthy enough to go back home in Billings to live with his parents. That’s when Chris took the next step, quite literally as he was still using a wheelchair to get around. Chris first started rehab with the Headway Program brain injury recovery program in September, 2005. After four more months of physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, and counseling through Headway which is a service offered through Saint Vincent Healthcare in Billings, MT Chris built up his strength and coordination to walk again, and speak clearly.
But Chris’s journey didn’t stop there. Chris continued with outpatient therapies, and hard work at home improving his skills. The case manager with Headway worked with COR Enterprises to help Chris return to employment.
Now two years later Chris is not only walking and talking – he is selling. Chris knows first hand the importance of protecting oneself through having good insurance, and those customers who buy a policy from Chris quickly come to understand that Chris is not just in it for “the sale.” As a certified life insurance agent Chris had to pass an exhaustive 6 hour test covering all aspects of the health insurance industry, policies and state law regulations. Chris passed his examines a few months ago and is now working as an independent agent and can sell life insurance policies, long term disability insurance, long term care policies and final expense policies.
Chris can be reached at 698-5317.
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