By Kelsi Peace, Features Editor

After an excruciating recovery from a severe brain injury, Cody Veteto wants to convey one thing:

“Scott Morrison is my hero,” he said. “He’s humble, and he’ll deny this, but I still say he saved my life.”

Veteto, who ran into a tree while snowboarding during the advanced skiing trip to Winter Park, Colo., on Feb. 25, returned to ACU this semester to the delight of both close friends like Morrison and concerned students, staff and faculty who participated in prayer vigils for his recovery last spring.

Morrison, sophomore youth and family ministry major from San Antonio, found Veteto slumped against a tree after the collision and screamed for help until Veteto was in the care of paramedics.

After talking with Veteto, sophomore electronic media major from Tulsa, Okla., for a few minutes, his renewed passion for life, people and God is apparent.

“I was truly a miracle,” Veteto said. “I’m alive.”

He is more than alive; he is recovered and healthy.

The first thing he recalls after his accident was waking up in his final Magnetic Resonance Imaging session, Veteto said.

He likened the sensation to a hammer beating against the metal machine.

His initial reaction, Veteto said, was to escape. He said the fact that he didn’t know where he was never crossed his mindª-he instinctively wanted to escape.

After that point, Veteto said he began remembering more.

As far as remembering his accident, Veteto knows only what friends and family have told him.

Morrison said as his health improved, Veteto asked questions about the trip and the accident more often.

Without a hint of self-pity, Veteto explained the laborious recovery process of the past few months.

“Part of the recovery is just to be at home and keep livingª-literally,” Veteto said.

Veteto spent three days a week in physical, speech and occupational therapy to reverse the damage of his injury.

Veteto said before his accident, he weighed 113 pounds; after nearly two months spent confined to bed, he weighed 84 pounds. During physical therapy, Veteto performed simple exercises such as lifting one-pound weights to improve muscle mass and coordination.

Occupational therapy focused on memory improvement, which Veteto said he still struggles with at times. During occupational therapy sessions, he re-learned skills such as setting the temperature and time on an oven and locking the bathroom door.

Because he ecspecially struggled with speech, Veteto was released from speech therapy after physical and occupational therapy; about July 7 he was officially finished with all therapy sessions.

Speech therapy entailed everything from reading children’s books out loud to reading magazine articles and writing response papers, Veteto said.

His slow speech recovery aggravates him, Veteto said, and he feels he continues to slur and stutter at times, although this impairment is minor.

“[Therapy] is difficult to go through, and it’s slow,” Veteto said. “Maybe tomorrow it’ll be better. That’s what I kept thinking over the summer.”

While his parents seemed to notice improvement, Veteto said he found the process agonizingly slow.

Despite the long procedure, Veteto said he is, in a way, grateful for the experience.

“I don’t wish I didn’t have the brain injury,” he said. “Now I’m a better person than I was a couple days before my accident. I didn’t like going through it at all. I didn’t like what it did to my parents and my sister at all. But for me, I’m glad it [happened].”

Veteto recalled a moment, while lying in his hospital bed, where he realized had he died, he would have gone to heaven.

“That made things different,” he said. “Then and there, I wanted to be a better Christian and wanted to really glorify God,” he said.

“Every time he sees somebody, his eyes light up like it’s the first time,” Morrison said. “It’s a new ‘hi’ everyday, a new high five everyday.”

Morrison, who lived on Veteto’s hall last year, recalls Veteto leaving encouraging notes under his door.

“You kind of take for granted a person like that,” Morrison said.

After meeting during Welcome Week in 2005, Morrison and Veteto became friends and often went to Taco Bueno together.

Morrison, who dislikes the food at Bueno, said he went because Veteto adored the restaurant.

While Veteto was hospitalized, Morrison visited the restaurant in his honor.

“I had a major craving for this food I’d never liked before,” Morrison said when Veteto returned to Abilene.

The two returned to Bueno for their reunion, and Morrison said he was afraid to look at Veteto because he worried he might cry from relief when he saw him.

Morrison, who did not see Veteto during the summer, said his friend improved drastically during the summer in awareness and ability.

“The last day I saw him, he was on a respirator, on a cart, being air lifted out,” Morrison said.

He also said Veteto has become more driven in the pursuit of his goals.

“He’s not going to be set back by anything,” Morrison said.

Veteto returned to ACU and immediately became involved in campus activities. Veteto said he and former roommate Ryan Jones, sophomore Christian ministry major from Tulsa, Okla., filmed Welcome Week this year, and Veteto said he also plans to pledge and may participate in FilmFest.

Simply returning to ACU was amazing, Veteto said. And seeing his friends again?

“Amazingª-I just felt ecstatic about it,” he said.

Veteto also returned to Denver during the summer for a reunion with the people who cared for him in Colorado, although he said he doesn’t remember them.

Veteto and his family returned to Lakewood Church of Christ, where he said he experienced the most powerful church service he has ever attended.

As far as a return to the slopes goes, Veteto said he will not snowboard again; however, he said he might ski one day- with a helmet.

“If you’re skiing or snowboarding, get a helmet. It will save your life,” said Veteto, who pointed out that he is living proof.

In fact, Veteto received his helmet from Dr. Wayne Barnard, dean of spiritual formation, last Wednesday.

Veteto’s helmet was mailed to Barnard after the accident.

Except for a few small scratches, the helmet is intact, Veteto said.

Six months later, Veteto has recovered from his terrible accident.

“I’m up to par physically,” he said. “But everything is slower. I eat slower, walk slower, think slower-everything. It’s not drastic, but you can tell a little bit of a difference.”

Veteto said since his return to ACU, he has noticed more improvement.

And each time he talks about the struggle to improve, he adds, “I’m alive-I really feel like a miracle.”