Andrew Tkaczyk met up with bandmates at an Ohio awards show as he makes difficult but remarkable progress at Grand Rapids’ Mary Free Bed from amputation and other injuries suffered in a bus crash. The group is eyeing a 2017 tour.
Reunion: Michigan’s Andrew Tkaczyk, at left, hangs out with members of The Ghost Inside at Monday’s Alternative Press Music Awards in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo/Anthony Norkus, Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital)
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Just six months ago, it would have been tough for Andrew Tkaczyk to even imagine a night like the one he experienced on Monday in Columbus, Ohio.
Bandmates: Tkaczyk reunited with other members of The Ghost Inside on Monday. (Photo/Anthony Norkus, Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital)
The Charlotte native and drummer for melodic hardcore band The Ghost Inside – who lost his right leg and suffered serious spine, head, ribs, hip and shoulder injuries in a head-on tour bus crash in Texas – not only reunited with his bandmates for the first time since that November accident, but the group also won the “Most Devoted Fans” award during the Alternative Press Music Awards show in Ohio.
Perhaps even more miraculously, Tkaczyk and the Los Angeles-based band plan to get back on stage to play next year’s Vans Warped Tour as the 28-year-old continues with rehabilitation from 51 injuries sustained in the bus crash.
“Things are going well, considering the circumstances,” Tkaczyk told Grand Rapids’ Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital, where the drummer has been undergoing outpatient rehab three days a week. The hospital this week posted an update on his progress.
‘WALKING A LOT’ AND A PROSTHESIS FOR PLAYING DRUMS
“I’ve been walking a lot in therapy and on my own time with my new prosthesis. My range of motion in my right shoulder has been getting better and better with each visit, and we are in the process of building a prosthesis specifically for playing drums.”
Accepting the Award: The Ghost Inside was honored for having the “Most Devoted Fans.” (Photo/Anthony Norkus, Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital)
Dr. Stephen Bloom, medical director of the Brain Injury Program at Mary Free Bed, said staff is “aggressively working with physical therapy to strengthen his hip, leg and back muscles.”
Mary Free Bed reported specialists are developing an adaptive drum kit that will allow Tkaczyk to get back on stage. Bloom also told Local Spins that they’re “into his third prototype for his drumming leg” and that filmmakers are working on “a documentary on him to release around the time of the 2017 Vans Warped Tour, so some cool things going on.”
Amid what he called “a great day” in Columbus, Tkaczyk credited the “overwhelming amount of love and support from fans” for raising band members’ spirits as they eye “playing some shows sooner than later,” according to the Mary Free Bed update. Three of the band members used crutches or canes to take the stage when accepting honors on Monday, with audience members at the alt-rock awards show heartily cheering them on.
Tkaczyk, formerly of the Lansing metalcore band For the Fallen Dreams, has been a member of The Ghost Inside since 2011.
Read more about The Ghost Inside’s accident and Tkaczyk’s rehabilitation in this feature story by Local Spins writer Ricky Olmos.
Check out a video from Monday night’s awards show below, along with a video of Tkaczyk getting behind a drum kit during rehabilitation – when there was “not a dry eye in the room.”
VIDEO: The Ghost Inside wins “Most Dedicated Fans” award
Video courtesy of Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital
VIDEO: Andrew Tkaczyk getting behind a drum kit
Video courtesy of Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital
Copyright 2016, Spins on Music LLC
