TODAY.
TODAY. YOU'LL WANT TO PUT ON SOME
CASHMERE, IT'S GETTING CHILLY
OUTSIDE.
OUTSIDE.
OUTSIDE. NEXT.
NEXT.
NEXT. >>>
NEXT. >>> 53 SURGERIES AND COUNTING.
THAT'S WHAT IT'S TAKEN TO KEEP
A BURN SURVIVOR ALIVE THREE AND
A HALF YEARS AFTER A HELICOPTER
CRASH LEFT HIM WITH BURNS ON
MORE THAN 90% OF HIS SKIN.
DAVE REPSHIRE KNOWS HE OWES HIS
LIFE TO THE CARE AT THE
HOSPITAL.
HOSPITAL.
HOSPITAL. >> THERE WAS THE TIME WHERE
DAVE WASN'T JUST THE SICKEST
PERSON IN THE BURN ICU, HE WAS
THE SICKEST PERSON IN THE
HOSPITAL.
HOSPITAL.
HOSPITAL. >> Reporter: DAVE REPSHIRE IN A
FIVE AND A HALF MONTH BLACK
HOLE.
HOLE.
HOLE. >>
HOLE. >> I DIDN'T KNOW THE PASSAGE OF
TIME, OR REALLY WHERE I WAS, OR
REALLY ANYTHING, I GUESS.
>> Reporter: THEN ONE DAY.
>> I DIDN'T KNOW WHERE I WAS.
>> Reporter: DAVE WOKE UP.
>> I MEAN, I WAS FREAKED OUT.
>> Reporter: AND SAID FOUR
WORDS.
WORDS.
WORDS. >>
WORDS. >> I KNEW THAT WHATEVER DAVE'S
DECISION WAS, I WAS GOING TO
RESPECT IT.
RESPECT IT. AS HURT AS I MIGHT BE.
GETTING UP THE NEXT MORNING,
AND GETTING OVER TO THE
HOSPITAL, AND I GOT TO DAVE,
AND I ASKED HIM, I SAID DO YOU
REMEMBER YESTERDAY?
REMEMBER YESTERDAY? HE SAID YES, I DO REMEMBER
YESTERDAY.
YESTERDAY. I SAID DO YOU REMEMBER WHAT YOU
SAID?
SAID?
SAID? HE
SAID? HE SAID YEAH.
I SAID I WANT TO DIE I SAID DO
YOU STILL FEEL THAT WAY?
I DON'T THINK SO, NO.
>> Reporter: FROM THAT MOMENT
ON.
ON.
ON. >>
ON. >> YOU ARE RIDING THE BIKE BY
YOURSELF, DAVE REPSHIRE.
>> Reporter: DAVE MOVED
FORWARD.
FORWARD.
FORWARD. >> THIS IS A MONUMENTOUS DAY.
>> I JUST HAD TO KNOW WHAT I
WAS FACING.
WAS FACING. IT'S LIKE, CAN I GET THROUGH
THIS?
THIS?
THIS? AT
THIS? AT SOME POINT I SAID, LET'S
GIVE IT A SHOT.
>> I WOULD SAY HE'S ONE IN A
MILLION.
MILLION.
MILLION. HE WAS NEAR DEATH SO MANY
TIMES, I CAN'T EVEN, LITERALLY
NEAR DEATH, AND I'M NOT
EXAGGERATING THAT.
EXAGGERATING THAT. >> UNUSUAL PATIENT, DAVE?
>> I WOULDN'T CALL HIM UNUSUAL.
I'D CALL HIM SPECIAL.
EXTRAORDINARY.
EXTRAORDINARY. >> Reporter: UNDER THE CARE OF
PEOPLE LIKE DR. ERIC WICHTER.
>> DAVE, YOU'RE WALKING.
>> YEAH, THERE ISN'T A TEXTBOOK
THAT YOU CAN READ ABOUT THIS.
>> Reporter: DAVE LEARNED.
>> YOU'RE GOING TO WALK THE
ENTIRE LENGTH OF THIS HALLWAY,
DAVE.
DAVE.
DAVE. >>
DAVE. >> Reporter: LEARNED HOW TO BE
DAVE ALL OVER AGAIN.
>> IT TAKE AS WHOLE HOSPITAL OF
PEOPLE TO GET THEM BETTER.
>> I'VE WORKED ALL OVER THE
HOSPITAL, AND I TRULY BELIEVE
THIS IS THE MOST PAINFUL INJURY
YOU CAN HAVE.
I WOULD HAVE TO GO IN AND SAY,
DAVE THIS IS WHAT WE WANT TO DO
TODAY, IT'S GOING TO BE VERY
DIFFICULT.
DIFFICULT. ARE YOU SURE?
>> THE PAIN FOR HIM WAS
PHENOMENAL.
PHENOMENAL. YOU'RE JUST NOT SURE WHEN YOU
GET TO THAT LEVEL OF CARE.
YOU AREN'T SURE IF HE'S GOING
TO MAKE IT THROUGH THE NIGHT.
YOU COME BACK AT 7:00 A.M., AND
PEEK IN THE ROOM.
OH, HE'S STILL HERE, THANK
GOSH, BECAUSE I DIDN'T SLEEP
THAT NIGHT.
THAT NIGHT. I DIDN'T THINK HE WAS GOING TO
MAKE IT THROUGH THE NIGHT.
>> I HAD MULTIPLE NIGHTMARES
ABOUT DAVE PASSING AWAY.
I THINK EVERYONE DID.
IT'S REALLY HARD TO PUT INTO
WORDS SOMEONE YOU'VE SEEN
DYING, TO BEING BETTER, TO
MAYBE DYING AGAIN, AND THEN
WALKING IN FRONT OF YOU.
>> Reporter: RECOVERY FOR DAVE
CAME IN STEPS.
>> READY?
>> READY?
>> READY? >> Reporter: A NURSE BY TRADE,
DAVE REFUSED MANY OF THE HEAVY
DUTY PAIN MEDICATIONS TYPICALLY
GIVEN TO BURN PATIENTS.
>> WE WOULD WARN HIM.
WE WOULD BE LIKE ARE YOU SURE?
WE CAN ASK FOR SOME?
WE CAN HAVE SOME ON HAND?
MOST OF THE TIME, HE DIDN'T
WANT ANYTHING.
WANT ANYTHING. >> YEAH, HE'S A TOUGH GUY.
>> Reporter: STEPS.
>> YOU'VE ALWAYS GOT TO TRY TO
BE SOMETHING MORE THE NEXT DAY.
IF YOU NEED TEN STEPS, THE NEXT
DAY, GO FOR 11.
THE NEXT DAY GO FOR 12.
>> YOU GOT IT, YOU GOT IT DAVE.
>> GOOD WORK.
>> Reporter: THEN ONE DAY, YOU
GO RIGHT OUT THE FRONT DOOR.
WITH THE ONE PERSON WHO HAS
BEEN BY YOUR SIDE SINCE DAY 1.
>> YAY!
>> YAY!
>> YAY! >> AND HE'S OUT.
>> IT IS EVERYTHING.
I WOULDN'T BE HERE WITHOUT IT.
SHE CAME EVERY DAY.
SHE WAS HERE ALL DAY.
I LOOKED FORWARD TO HEARING HER
VOICE, OR SEEING HER EVERY DAY.
I WAS IN SOME REALLY DARK
PLACES.
PLACES.
PLACES. JUST TO HEAR AMANDA'S VOICE, I
KNOW IT BROUGHT ME OUT OF SOME
PLACES I DIDN'T KNOW IF I WAS
EVER GOING TO BE ABLE TO GET
BACK FROM.
BACK FROM. >> THIS WEEKEND, 9NEWS WILL
SHOW YOU MORE OF DAVE'S
SURVIVAL STORY.
SURVIVAL STORY. FUELING