Terry Banker spent 43 years of his life wondering why.
Why did he get into a car accident that caused severe burns to his entire body? Why was he the only thing burned in the accident, and not his truck or the land? Why did he survive?
Today, he knows why. It was so he could help other burn survivors and their families. As Terry was reflecting on his will and what he wanted his post-life wishes to be, he graciously chose to leave $500,000 to the Ascension Columbia St. Mary’s Regional Burn Center.
“I was in a freak accident,” Terry said. “I remember almost everything up until the point of impact. I apparently hit a bridge, jumped an embankment and landed on the other side. I was the only thing burned in the accident.”
Terry, now 62 years old, was taken to the burn center at the present day Ascension Columbia St. Mary’s and stayed there for five-and-a-half months. In the beginning, his family was told to take it hour by hour if Terry would make it through this devastating accident.
As his recovery continued, Terry became stronger and stronger. But he was told he wouldn’t be able to walk, and he wouldn’t be able to work. He proved both of those points wrong.
“I told everyone I would prove them wrong, and I did. It took about two years to get back on my feet and I had great support from Dr. John Conway and my plastic surgeon Dr. Terry Wilkins,” Terry said. “I learned to adapt with no fingers on my right hand and I worked to strengthen my muscles back up.”
Soon enough, Terry was back to working. Coincidentally, he spent time building firetrucks before going back to school to get his CDL and becoming a truck driver. Terry spent over two decades driving trucks. In that time, he visited nearly 700 different destinations and recorded more than three million miles.
All the while, he was proving people wrong and showing that he was more than his burns.
“Even during my CDL certification test, I had additional instructors and inspectors because I needed to prove that I could do this despite missing the fingers on my right hand and having drop foot,” Terry said. “I had to prove myself, and I did just that.”
Now, many years later and enjoying retirement, Terry is looking forward to continuing what he loves: proving people wrong and helping others. With his planned gift, Terry hopes to establish a retreat for burn patients and their families to help heal from both the physical and mental aspects of burns.
But even more importantly, he’s found the answer to his ‘why.’
"My grandmother said things always happen for a reason. For 43 years I could never figure out what the reason for being burned and surviving was until now. I always asked myself ‘why’ and never understood,” Terry said. “But now I know. The reason why I'm a burn survivor, and why I'm doing what I'm doing, is to help other patients and their families. Burn survivors are like my family, and I want to support them through what they may be going through."