During a therapy session at Fairlawn Rehabilitation Hospital's Outpatient Center, Ron Johnson works to improve his memory and problem-solving skills.

It was on that bike last October that 45-year-old Johnson's life was transformed into something far different from what it had always been.

On that particular day, Johnson - an experienced rider who had traveled the roads of Wyoming, Nevada, South Dakota, and Utah - simply headed north for a brief late afternoon ride. But several hours later - long after he had enjoyed his usual goal of seeing the sun go down and the moon come up - Johnson and his bike lay crumpled on the side of the Route 62 on-ramp in Berlin.

Having apparently lost control of his bike, Johnson was unresponsive when another motorist found him next to a ledge beneath the dimming stream of his Harley's headlights.

Life-flighted to UMass Medical Center, Johnson was diagnosed with multiple facial fractures, orthopedic injuries, and severe brain trauma.

In the days ahead, as her husband, placed on a ventilator and feeding tube, underwent surgeries to set his broken bones, Stacey Johnson depended on the extraordinary support of family and friends.

"Shortly after Ronnie was admitted to UMass, the waiting room was filled with people who came to be there for us. And while he was in the ICU, his friends - all of whom told the nurses they were his brothers so they could get into see him - started a "While Your Were Out" journal in which they jotted down their thoughts each time they came to visit," she recalled. "We are definitely rich in friends."

Two weeks after his accident, medically stable but unable to move or communicate, Johnson was transferred to Fairlawn Rehabilitation Hospital in Worcester. "With brain injury, every person's recovery is different," said Stacy, "so while the doctors were hopeful, they had to be somewhat vague about Ron's prognosis."

During the next seven weeks, Johnson worked diligently toward regaining his mobility, speech, and thinking skills. While making progress in all those areas, finding the words he needed to express himself proved to be very difficult. "Ron also had difficulties with memory, particularly when it came to learning new information," explained Dr. Sheree Estes, a neuropsychologist at Fairlawn.

While Johnson dedicated all his energies to recovery, Stacey assumed the daunting task of running the business her husband had spent a lifetime building. "Ron was always very detail-oriented and good at multi-tasking. And while it was very difficult to watch him struggle with things he used to do without hesitation, I wanted to make sure that if he got to the point where he could return to work, the business would still be there for him," she said.

Whether that happens remains to be seen. Upon discharge from Fairlawn's inpatient program, Johnson was walking without assistance and was back to talking up a storm. But as he moved on to outpatient services, he needed to continue his work on memory and retrieving new information, as well as maintaining attention and concentration. "Initially it was very difficult to have a conversation with Ron because he could not maintain his focus to stay on topic," said Karla McAuliffe, a speech-language pathologist at Fairlawn's Outpatient Center.

Pictured with her husband, Stacey Johnson says," Ron has taken a tragic situation and turned it into something positive. I am extremely proud of him."

Still, he worked hard, often amidst constant pain. "The term 'eternal optimist' fits Ron's disposition to a tee," said McAuliffe. He always found the positive side to every situation. Even when presented with blistering migraines, he reported being thankful for the experience so that he could better appreciate pain free days."

As a result, Johnson continued to make significant progress in outpatient therapy. Recognizing the need to employ strategies to compensate for his memory deficits, he readily made lists, used date-books, and took notes. "His problem solving ability also improved, as did his ability to reason and draw conclusions," said McAuliffe.

Along with his optimism, Johnson has maintained his tremendous sense of humor. "Sometimes Stacey tells me that before the accident I used to love to shop," he said in a recent interview at Fairlawn's Outpatient Center. "Of course my memory is so bad that I have to go along with her. But that's ok," he added, taking his wife's hand. "We laugh often and together."

Johnson's appreciation for life also remains intact, if not enhanced. Still a huge fan of sunsets, he recalls an especially beautiful one he saw from his hospital room several months back. "It was absolutely magnificent," he said. "Yes, I was in the hospital, but I may as well have been sitting at the equator. It was like seeing the sun set for the first time."

Johnson does not dismiss the ongoing difficulties of his recovery. "This whole experience has been like being in first grade - I've had to learn everything all over again," he said. "But it has also been an unbelievable experience. In a way it has taught me who I am. It has brought me to a different level of appreciation for everything - especially the power of learning. So I give everything my best try today. And if I can't do it, I just try again tomorrow."

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