TAMPA, Fla. - A routine scuba dive in the Bahamas nearly took a man's life when a rare injury left him paralyzed and fighting for his recovery in an intensive care unit.
Scuba diving injury
What we know:
Craig Kuhl was on a wedding trip in the Bahamas when he completed a routine scuba dive under 60 feet for less than 30 minutes, following standard safety stops.
Courtesy: Craig Kuhl
Shortly after returning to shore, Kuhl felt wobbly inside a dive shop due to an arterial gas embolism.
Gas bubbles reached his brain and mimicked a stroke, leading doctors to airlift him to Miami, where he spent 25 days in the ICU and lost 40 pounds.
TGH Rehabilitation Hospital recovery
The backstory:
When Kuhl arrived at TGH's Rehabilitation Hospital in Tampa, he could not get out of bed on his own and required a lift to move.
"Kind of a helpless feeling," he said. "So, I had to come up from zero."
He spent hours every day in physical and occupational therapy learning how to perform basic movements like taking steps, climbing stairs, and feeding himself.
"The best thing about it is the amount of family support he has, and community support, Dr. Rigoberto Nunez, the Medical Director of the Spinal Injury Program at Tampa General Hospital's Rehabilitation Unit, explained. "So that makes a huge difference."
Family and hospital support
What they're saying:
Support from his wife, Brooke, his medical team, and fellow patients kept him motivated through three weeks of inpatient care before he left with a walker.
"It was almost like that first session of that shower, his whole demeanor changed," his wife, Brooke Kuhl, explained. "Maybe it was because he knew that the team cared enough to even notice."
Courtesy: Craig Kuhl
Missing medical case details
What we don't know:
It's unclear why the arterial gas embolism occurred after a routine dive.
Life after dive emergency
What's next:
A year after the medical emergency, Kuhl gave back his wheelchair, returned to driving, and resumed playing golf.
Although he is done scuba diving, he and his wife plan to regularly visit the Tampa rehab facility to encourage other patients working through difficult recoveries.
The Source: The information in this story was gathered from video footage and direct statements provided by Craig Kuhl, his wife Brooke Palmer Kuhl, Dr. Rigoberto Nunez, and rehabilitation facility records.