Coming Back

Coming Back The Current | January 19, 1999

COMING BACK

After nearly losing his life, UM-St. Louisan James Wieczorek recovered from a devastating injury to start his college career

by Anne Porter

staff associate

photo by Stephanie Platt

After two and a half years at UM-St. Louis, James Wieczorek graduated with a bachelor's degree in political science and a grade point average of 3.87, making him summa cum laude. This alone is an achievement in itself, but for Wieczorek, it was a personal triumph.

For 15 years he drove trucks for teamsters to support his wife, Kerry, and their four children.

"It paid the bills, [and] put groceries on the table," Wieczorek said. "Work was [hard,] but..."

All that changed Christmas Eve, 1991, when Wieczorek was shot at a rest area in Memphis, Tenn. He was on his way to St. Louis from Jackson, Miss. and was about to call his headquarters to check on a shipment.

Wieczorek was getting change from a vending machine when he heard three teenagers behind him. One put a handgun to his neck and firedÑall for $21 and a gold chain.

He described feeling tingly sensations all over his body.

"I knew I was shot but didn't know where," Wieczorek said.

Fortunately, a custodian was there cleaning the bathrooms, and he called the police to report a vending machine break-in. When he saw Wieczorek on the ground, he called an ambulance. Wieczorek said that after he was shot, so much was happening, but he really had no idea what was going on. As CPR was performed on him, he remembers thinking while they were pounding on his chest, "Why are they beating me? I've done nothing wrong."

When the hospital called Kerry, she thought it was a prank call, so she hung up. She later called back and found out that her husband had been shot and was in critical care. To confuse matters further, the police called and told her that Wieczorek had died.

"[Kerry] didn't know if I was dead or alive," Wieczorek said.

As a result of the shooting, Wieczorek lost sight for 48 hours and had two strokes, one upper brain and one lower. Because of the damage to the fourth and fifth vertebrae, he became wheelchair-bound for the rest of his life.

He found communication frustrating after the strokes.

"I knew what I wanted to say, but I just couldn't," Wieczorek said.

He also sustained 5 percent brain damage, which the doctors told him would cause loss of memory retention.

After three weeks in Memphis, Wieczorek returned to St. Louis for three months of rehabilitation. It was then that he made the decision to start college with the help of the Missouri Department of Vocational Rehabilitation.

He began his college experience at St. Charles County Community College. He found that he really enjoyed going to school.

When he completed his studies at St. Charles County Community College, Wieczorek chose to go to UM-St. Louis. The University helped him to set up rides with other students because he lives in New Melle, Mo., which is about an hour away from St. Louis.

His recent graduation has rustled up a lot of new attention.

"People come up and say, 'You are such an inspiration,'" Wieczorek said. "I'm glad I can influence people like that."

In the fall, Wieczorek plans to attend law school at either St. Louis University or Washington University. Wieczorek would like to study disability law or possibly labor law.

"I'd like to be able to help people because people have helped me," Wieczorek said.

Wieczorek appreciates the UM-St. Louis campus, especially the political science department, the Underground and the Thomas Jefferson Library, for all the support he received in both his public and personal life.

"If I had to do it all over again, I would do it at UM-St. Louis," Wieczorek said.