El Pasoan ready for revolutionary transplant

— a medical first and a story you’ll see only on abc seven. reggie lived life to the fullest. he lived with purpose and had big plans for the future. but in 2009 all that changed when – for just a second – he shut his eyes. after a long day at work, he fell asleep at the wheel and crashed. reggie; i have been like a puzzle. i’ve had hip surgeries, five surgeries in my foot, i had 14 bones broken in my neck. reggie was in a coma and his sister delivered a message from his young daughter that brought him back. “my siste says i heard the recording and my eye moved. two days later i woke from that.” reggie awoke to a nightmare. the crash left him with a traumatic brain injury and confined to a wheelchair. reggie: i have to have a nurse come to my house every day to help me change, shower, use the restroom make me something to eat. orthopedic surgeon eric sides has been working to help reggie regain his independence. sides: “so his left arm jus hangs there, it’s of no use.” reggie had an artificial elbow joint but it did’t work. dr. sides; “currently mr. coo has no elbow his bone has been re-sected here to here and he functions with a brace.” reggie may feel trapped in his body, and a burden to his family. but he’s not giving up. he came up with a life changing procedure that he and his doctors hope will bring him back something he’s been missing the last eight years: reggie: “i have second chance in life, so i’m taking it. i’m jumping on it so i can be independent.” reggie is givin up his left arm to regain his freedom. reggie; “yo can mentally go up or you can mentally go down, and i want to go up. i’m young, you know, i’m 38 years old and i still have a lot left in me. coming up at ten, i’ll tell you about the first of its kind procedure reggie hopes will give him that second chance.