Home for Christmas

It started out as a normal September day for Brad Jolliffe and Terra Scott as they worked together at the new Lauterbach Buick GMC building, but the day quickly turned into a frightening ordeal.

The couple own and operate a painting company, Color Creations, and were close to completion on Sept. 15 at the new facility at 2900 First Avenue E. in Newton. When Scott went to their work truck to return a missed call, Jolliffe climbed up a 25-foot ladder to continue painting. When Scott returned a couple minutes later, Jolliffe was no longer on the ladder.

“I thought he went to the bathroom,” Scott said. “As I came fully around, I saw him on the ground. At first, I said, ‘This isn’t funny Bradley. Get up off the ground.’”

It was not a joke.

Jolliffe fell to the concrete and fractured his skull. He suffered two brain contusions, seven broken ribs, a partially collapsed lung, a sinus fracture and knocked-out teeth.

After spending 70 days at Mercy Medical Center in Des Moines and another 19 days at a rehabilitation facility in Lincoln, Neb., Jolliffe will be home for Christmas.

“It feels good (to be back in Newton) because I am grateful to the people in this town,” Jolliffe said. “There’s big hearts out there. That’s the main thing.”

Doyle and Devoe Realty set up fundraiser buckets at several local businesses. There was also a benefit checking account set up through Great Western Bank. The community rallied behind Jolliffe.

“There were people who did cash donations,” Scott said. “There were a lot of people in town that did prayer chains. They prayed for him at churches.”

He appreciates the donations and prayers that were sent his way throughout the last three months. Jolliffe is in a much better spot now. He has no recollection of the accident and does not remember most of the time he spent in the hospital afterwards.

Currently, part of Jolliffe’s brain is protected only by his scalp. A large piece of his skull had to be removed, but it will be replaced by durable plastic soon. He is excited for the surgery to replace the missing bone on his skull, which is scheduled to take place in late January.

With Scott’s support, Jolliffe has made tremendous progress. He needed to be restrained at the hospital because he was a physical threat to people around him.

“I was restrained, and I was not a happy person,” Jolliffe said. “It’s hard to deal with going through a mental (injury). When something’s wrong with your brain like that, it’s not good.”

Scott welcomed him back home on Dec. 10. Jolliffe can take care of himself for the most part, but he still needs 24-hour supervision. Scott is happy to provide that care and attention. When Jolliffe was completely sedated for weeks on end at the hospital, Scott missed having regular interaction with her best friend.

Scott altered the floor plan of their home to accommodate Jolliffe’s needs. She knocked down some walls to expand the size of the bathroom and bring their bedroom to the lower level, so Jolliffe would not have to deal with the stairs.

“He’s got all of his mobility,” Scott said. “He talks. He texts. He can do the stairs, but he sometimes gets off balance.”

Jolliffe injured his temporal lobe, which affects his comprehension of speech. He gets confused sometimes, and his words are not always delivered the way he intends. He is getting better, though. Doctors told Scott that, generally speaking, people who injure their temporal lobe recover 99 percent of their brain function within two years.

Despite the setbacks, Color Creations is still open for business. Scott hired a friend to do most of the work while she tends to Jolliffe. Scott still does bids and picks up paint when she can, too.

Meanwhile, Jolliffe cannot wait to get back to painting. He said his main priorities are marrying Scott, getting back to work and getting back on the road as a driver. His sights are set on returning to full activity, but right now he spends much of his time sleeping. He said the sleep is good for healing.

For many weeks following the accident, Jolliffe relied on a feeding tube for sustenance. He lost 65 pounds during that time. Now his appetite is up, and his diet is back to normal. He is utilizing Skiff Medical Center in Newton for physical therapy and speech therapy.

“I’m getting a lot better,” he said. “I’m working on it. I’ve got a lot of family behind me.”

Contact Justin Jagler at 641-792-3121 ext 6532 or jjagler@newtondailynews.com