Jason Pearce had no plans Sunday, November 24, 2024, other than hanging some siding inside his Geneseo, Illinois, barn.
The trip – via medical helicopter – to University (Iowa) Hospitals and Clinics in Iowa City, Iowa, – was clearly not on his to-do list. Same for surgery to repair his fractured right wrist, and the thoracic (back) and spinal fractures he suffered. Injuries to his ribs, neck and shoulder, and a concussion, were – you can bet – not on that day’s agenda.
The same goes for the three-inch gash on the left side of his forehead – just above the eye.
Again, not on the calendar.
One of life’s incredibly good souls, Pearce, an upbeat sort with a top-notch sense of humor, fell somewhere between 15-to-20 feet from a ladder that November day, landing on his barn’s concrete floor. The subsequent injuries and surgery led to a four-day hospital stay in Iowa City.
A month and two days later, the day after Christmas, Pearce found himself at Rock Valley Physical Therapy’s Geneseo-based clinic. He was under the care and ever-watchful eye of Andrea Davis, MS, OTR/L, CHT, CAFS.
It was there that Davis – a knowledgeable and compassionate therapist – who – with Pearce – never-back-away-from-a-challenge-type – went to work.
And work they did.
For four–plus months, the pair combined to return Pearce to the active life he knew before the fall.
Step one for Pearce’s return to the life he knew, was he and Davis formulating a plan to address his bevy of injuries, beginning with his surgically repaired right wrist. All would be done while incorporating a wide-ranging, challenge-filled balance and strength plan to return his remaining injuries to 100 percent.
“December 26 (2024) was the first day I saw Jason,’’ said Davis, who continues to marvel – despite all that Pearce had been through – at how upbeat and ready he was to get better that first day of therapy. “It wasn’t easy for him. Jason was wearing a TLSO (thoracic back support) brace and a Philadelphia (neck) collar, and we began first working with what was a distal-radial fracture of the right wrist.”
“It (the wrist) was painful, and we worked basic movements of it, incorporating touching and working along his (surgical) scar. I cannot give proper credit by just telling you how impressed I was with Jason’s willingness to work to get better. Tough, doesn’t begin to describe him.’’
What also caught Davis’s attention that first day was a vow Pearce made.
A gifted – and successful SCCA road course race car driver – the husband and father of two, told Davis he would be competing in the season’s opening race at Blackhawk Farms Raceway at South Beloit, Ill.
In April 2025. Back to racing in less than five months, and a shade less than six months since his near-death fall.
“There was lots of work to do, and the road wasn’t going to be easy, but racing kept coming back to me as far as Jason’s goals,’’ said Davis. “April was not that far off, and you never know. What I came to know in a hurry was Jason would be dedicated to making that race. Jason was dedicated to every phase of his therapy, but racing was tremendous, added motivation.’’
It must be noted, Pearce – and his 2021 Ford Mustang – made the season’s first race.
And he won.
But we digress…
To get there, however, took countless days of a gifted therapist and ever-dedicated patient focused on getting better, having fun, and making the best of every obstacle that stood before them.
Fun?
“There has to be humor,’’ Davis said. “Jason has an amazing sense of humor. Getting better was hard. It hurt sometimes because of the nature of his injuries, but he trusted the process and worked exceptionally hard. It really helped that Jason had a “buy in’’ approach.’’
Pearce said Davis’s ability to grasp what would make him better and present it in a different, benefitting fashion each time they met left him appreciating her skill and dedication.
“I joked that there is this witchcraft, this caldron of secrets she has, the sand and all the tools she used to help get me better,’’ Pearce said of Davis. “Of course, it’s not that way, but there was something different every day that was used to get me better. Something Andrea knew would be beneficial and something that came with a goal.’’
Davis says Pearce’s bevy of injuries gave them a target for each therapy session.
“We worked the wrist, making sure Jason had the strength he would need for everyday life, for work and for his racing,’’ she said. “And once the doctor gave us the OK to work the back and neck we formulated a plan and put it into motion. We worked a great deal on core strength as well. There was always a plan, but Jason’s dedication to getting better – chasing that mid-April race date – working in the clinic and outside on his own – played a huge role in this.’’
Preparing to race even played a positive role in Pearce’s return to the life he knew before the accident.
“That he has a garage and that Jason could work on his car – wrenching when we were not in therapy – was beneficial,’’ Davis said. “It was additional therapy, and it was also motivation for Jason to get his car ready while we worked on getting his body ready. That played a big part, and you must give Jason a great deal of credit for that.’’
While Davis continues to laud Pearce for his work in getting better, Pearce says he is forever grateful to Davis and Rock Valley Physical Therapy for his return to regular life.
“She’s fantastic,’’ Pearce said of Davis. “She has a wonderful ability to translate technical, medical terminology into a non-medical form so that I could understand and that was extremely beneficial to keep me coming back. It’s easy to just “ilium” everything, which would make sense to other medical professionals, but not the outsider. She pushed me enough to get through the pain but gave everything enough time to heal.’’
And that first day back racing?
“The challenge was climbing in and out of the (car’s) window,’’ Pearce joked with Davis, adding a laugh and a worrisome chuckle.
“I worried about that as well,’’ Davis added.
“I had some soreness, but it was usual soreness,’’ added Pearce, who says he has continued to race. “It’s a good soreness.’’
To spend as much time together as they did, Davis and Pearce say that both sides must be dedicated to the mission, but humor must play a part.
Both excel in the “make others laugh’’ department. And they now have an understanding – sort of – what yacht rock – a combination of soft rock, rock-pop, and adult contemporary music – is about.
Before therapy, Davis knew of it; Pearce did not.
“I learned what it is from Andrea,’’ Pearce said. “I didn’t get it and still might not have a grasp of it. Then, while on a plane, there was a story about yacht rock. Of course, I shot a photo and sent it to her.’’
And with that, Pearce, back to the life he knew before the accident.
And that is why Andrea Davis does what she does.
By: Johnny Marx, Rock Valley Storyteller