CHINA SPRING, Texas — A year ago last February, former Miss Waco Jamie Blanek was in an accident that made her an amputee, and almost a double amputee.
6 News did a feature story on her that aired last May, but by the time that feature had run, a young man in China Spring who had heard her story, and remembered thinking what a tragedy that was, had become a double amputee himself. Now we share the story of Hunter Jaynes.
Seeing 6 foot 2 inch Jaynes greet us at his door and then walks outside after the condition that he was in nine months ago defies logic and is a story of human strength and perseverance.
He was amazed himself, and told us, "So it hit me head-on. It instantly ripped off my arm and leg and I lost sight in my right eye."
"It" was a truck on Highway 6 northwest of Waco.
Police estimated that between the motorcycle and the truck combined, Jaynes was struck with forces exceeding 150 miles per hour.
As a result, he and the bike flew into the ditch. But he had a guardian angel there that day.
"His name is Rodney Rogers, and luckily he was there. He used to be a boy scout, and he jumped into action, tourniquet my arm, I was bleeding out, he saved my life. I can't thank him enough," he said.
Jaynes received 13 units of blood in route to the hospital, which was a 17-minute drive from the crash site. He had a total of six surgeries in ten days and was put into a medically induced coma.
"So I wake up in the hospital and I’m in ICU. I can't talk I have stuff in my mouth. They have me covered with blankets, I don't know my arm and leg are gone because I can still feel it, I feel it right now," he said.
And that's when the news came that was forever life-changing.
"The doctor told me that I lost my arm and leg," he said.
After 18 days in the hospital, Jaynes was sent to Memorial Herman in Houston for rehab.
His 6-foot 2-inch frame now weighs 105 pounds. But he started training and the weight came back.
"I was never very strong on my left arm and it is now bigger than my right arm ever was," he said.
Last summer, Jaynes got to go home to China Spring. He began rehabbing and is now barely using a cane.
He met Blanek at rehab and now she's in Utah training for the Paralympic games in Italy as a snowboarder. Jaynes will be heading to Winter Park in Colorado next month to learn to become a Paralympic skier.
Hunter told 6 News about his connection to Blanek saying, "I feel so close to her, we happened at almost the same time. And I kind of look at her progress and I want to make progress and I want to make progress to where she's at."
Blanek sent 6 News a special message for Jaynes:
"Hey Hunter, oh my gosh congratulations on your new adventure, I’m so excited for you. Good luck! You're going to do awesome! The snow life is the good life I hope to see you out there."
Jaynes is a self-described "car guy" and his pride and joy is his 2015 V-6 Mustang that he completely rebuilt.
In fact, since his injury, he's been able to take it out to the Little River Drag Strip and even smoke the competition, saying, "I'm friends with a lot of car guys, there's a great automotive community here in Waco and Austin, and they've helped me a lot too!"
Jaynes will graduate college with his bachelor's degree this fall. He's also getting his prosthetic arm within the next couple of months and every day is pretty much spent on school work and rehabbing his body.
Doctors are amazed by his progress and it looks like he's come through something horrifying and is making the best of it. He says no doubt about it, that helmet saved his life!
And no one is happier than his mother, his father and his five brothers and sisters. After all, he is the baby of the family.