Working Again, A Lineman Reflects on His Life’s Purpose

It was a clear March morning in 2018, and apprentice lineman Nick Holloway was headed west on I-20 with a crew of electrical workers. Suddenly, his truck axel broke loose, scraping against the asphalt and tilting the cab. Within seconds the utility vehicle swerved and flipped over five times. Co-workers following him witnessed the crash, kicked in the windshield, and pulled Nick and his crew out.

When Nick arrived at Centre for Neuro Skills’ Fort Worth clinic, he had no recall of the crash but suffered two brain bleeds, a subdural hematoma, pelvic fractures, imbalance, and memory lapses. He could only ambulate with a walker. Yet on his first day in therapy, the CNS philosophy of “Patients Don’t Plateau” was in force. “Whitney, my therapist, took my walker away,” Nick said. “She's like, ‘you don't need this,’ and that was a great thing. I spent the day without it.” And so began his path to independence.

Rebuilding Skills, Confidence, Strength

That path has led him back to work as a soon-to-be journeyman at his job. Today, he’s confident and safe working in the hydraulic bucket crane repairing poles and utilities 40 feet in the air. CNS is known for restoring patients to their greatest level of capability. In Nick’s case, his occupational therapist had him work on fine motor skills, wearing heavy gloves to replicate his work routine. Nick’s team also thought outside the box and took him to a rock-climbing gym (using safety gear) to reorient him to heights, balance, and processing.

But early on it was tough going. “I’d get angry quickly. I had no patience,” Nick said. “I’d get frustrated and cuss. I had no filters.” His equilibrium was another annoyance. “I took very wide turns when walking - I looked like an aircraft carrier.”

Such deficits didn’t deter the Fort Worth therapists. CNS is renowned for its individualized treatment, and Nick’s return to work required specialized glasses to address vision issues. Working with a neuro optometrist, his case manager arranged for an exam and corrective lenses to meet his needs.

‘I Can’t Thank CNS Enough’

With a team oriented toward Nick’s goals, he’s returned to a meaningful life. Ironically, he married a woman who’s an occupational therapist (not employed by CNS) and now has a one-year-old son. Video from their wedding shows him dancing with the woman of his dreams, as friends hoot and holler with each kiss he gives her.

“I can't thank CNS enough,” he said. “They had high expectations for my return to work, and that was big for me.”