WILDWOOD CREST – Mayor Don Cabrera, after busting his hipbone socket in a bike crash, plans to be at the Wednesday, Nov. 6, commissioners meeting.
Cabrera, who has been called the “Iron Mayor” for his prolific competition in Ironman events, hit a pothole while competing in a half-marathon on Oct. 19 and ended up with fractures to his right arm and the right side of his pelvis. Still unable to walk and put weight on his pelvis, Cabrera is nevertheless planning to participate in person at the commissioners meeting.
“I’m getting stronger each day,” he said.
He said the first couple days home were “rough going,” but he is doing physical therapy and getting “solid nights’ sleep,” weaning himself off prescription painkillers, drinking plenty of fluids and eating well.
Speaking to the Herald on Monday, Nov. 4, Cabrera said he had an upcoming appointment with a specialist for his arm, due to the fracture of his right humerus, the bone from the shoulder to the elbow.
He said in about four weeks he will see a specialist for his pelvis, but he has been given the OK to walk in a pool. He said it is a very important part of his recovery regimen, as there is a tendency to begin walking crookedly after such an injury.
Cabrera said he was told it would take about three months to fully recover and begin running again, but that will not prevent him from attending borough meetings.
“You can’t keep down. I want to make sure I’m accessible and doing my job,” he said.
So far, he has been able to stop by borough hall and sign documents from his car, and he reads and reviews items of borough business via email. He said there is a ramp on the right side of the commissioners dais, and he should be able to get there in his wheelchair.
Cabrera clarified that he was competing in a half-marathon, not a full marathon, called the North Carolina 70.3, and was at the 41st mile of the 56-mile cycling portion of the race when he hit the pothole at 22 or 23 mph.
He said he tried to hang on but realized he was going to fall and was able to fall on his right side – protecting his neck, spine and head. He ended up with injuries on the right side of his body, but in his words, he is “healing up nicely.”
The mayor said his bike is hanging on its rack in his living room, and he is not yet able to lift it and inspect the damage. This is his third major crash on a bike, he said, having crashed in Ironman competitions in Virginia and Maryland. He said in addition to the scrapes and broken bones, his pride was also broken.
“I was killing that race,” he said.
Cabrera said he heard from a lot of people before he arrived back in Wildwood Crest, and since then has heard from many residents and borough employees, people who have been wishing him well, sending cards and emails and dropping off meals.
“You know, you just go about doing what you’re doing, and in some small way, you don’t understand the appreciation of community, the respect, the friendliness, but it shows up in response to something like this,” he said.
Cabrera received a packet of get-well cards handmade by every student at Crest Memorial School.
“Wow!” he said. “Feeling the love!”
Contact the reporter, Christopher South, at csouth@cmcherald.com or 609-886-8600, ext. 128.
