How do YOU find purpose after losing Half YOUR Body? Brandon Reidel

How do you find joy… when you’ve lost everything?

In this episode of the Crackin’ Backs Podcast, we sit down with Brandon Riedel, a businessman whose life changed in an instant after being crushed by a falling tree—resulting in the loss of his right hand and right leg.

But this is not just a story about survival.

It’s a deep exploration of identity, resilience, mindset, and faith—and what it really takes to rebuild your life when everything familiar is gone.

In This Episode, We Explore:

• How to rebuild identity after trauma, amputation, and life-altering injury 
• The mental and emotional reality behind “staying positive” 
• Why resilience is not a mindset—but a daily practice under pressure 
• The role of faith, purpose, and perspective in recovery 
• How extreme adversity reshapes leadership, relationships, and priorities 
• What most people misunderstand about overcoming trauma and rebuilding life 
• The perspective shift you need before life forces it on you 

Why This Episode Matters

Most people believe they need a crisis to change.

But the truth is…
 the lessons are available now—if you’re willing to hear them.

This episode is for anyone who:

• Feels stuck, overwhelmed, or frustrated 
• Is searching for purpose, clarity, or direction 
• Wants to understand what real resilience looks like 

Because Brandon’s story isn’t just about loss…

It’s about what’s still possible after it.

About Brandon Riedel

Brandon Riedel is an entrepreneur and speaker whose life was forever changed by a devastating accident. Through his recovery, he has become a voice for resilience, mental strength, and faith-driven transformation, showing others how to rebuild not just physically—but mentally and emotionally.

If you think you’re having a hard time…

This conversation will challenge your perspective—and show you what’s truly possible.

🎧 Watch or listen now
 …and subscribe to Crackin’ Backs for conversations that redefine resilience, health, and human potential.

We are two sports chiropractors, seeking knowledge from some of the best resources in the world of health. From our perspective, health is more than just “Crackin Backs” but a deep dive into physical, mental, and nutritional well-being philosophies.

 Join us as we talk to some of the greatest minds and discover some of the most incredible gems you can use to maintain a higher level of health. Crackin Backs Podcast

Transcript

Dr. Spencer Baron (00:01.943)
Welcome, today we're joined by Brandon Rydell, a businessman whose life changed in an instant after being crushed by falling tree. What followed wasn't just survival, but a powerful rebuild rooted in mindset, faith, and perspective. Welcome to the show, Brandon.

Brandon Riedel (00:22.594)
Hello, thank you guys for having me.

Dr. Spencer Baron (00:25.513)
it's gonna be a pleasure. I'll tell you what, let me ask you Brandon, most people go their whole life without facing a moment that truly tests who they are and you had that moment in an absolute instant. Before we get into anything, when you think back to that day, if you can please describe some of that, what do you remember about who you were before everything changed?

Brandon Riedel (00:52.472)
who I was before? Well,

Dr. Spencer Baron (00:54.423)
Yep.

Brandon Riedel (01:01.774)
just a hardworking family man. I raised 10 children. I was in the middle of a divorce when this happened and I had had a son that passed away just three months before the accident. my world was, I was having a real difficult time already.

Anyways, it all happened really fast. I went to, well actually, I just got a new place and moved in March 1st of 2024 and I ran down to the bank. I was gonna deposit my check. And of course,

there's this big job site right next to the bank and they're running all these machines and I see this beautiful tree sitting up in the front left hand corner. So I, you know, I waved the guy down on the dozer and he comes up, said, Hey, what are y'all doing with this tree? He goes, Oh, we got an excavator coming. We're going to

We're going to smash it up, put it in a dumpster. You want it?" I said, yes. I build with these things. He goes, I'll load you. Can you be here with the trailer? I said, I'll be back in 20 minutes. So I go run to a buddy's house and grab a 40 foot trailer. And I show up there and I strap it down. They load it, of course. And I'm strapping it down with chains and the foreman pulls up.

on the job site and he's like, hey man, who are you? And I said, well, I'm just, I'm a builder in the area, but we take and mill these trees or sometimes, and we do all kinds of things with them. And I just hate to see a good tree, go to waste, go to the dump. So he goes, hey, we got some real big trees on some other job sites. Would you be interested? I said, absolutely.

Brandon Riedel (03:13.618)
And so that's so he, you know, I think that was a Saturday. He asked, he says, I'm going to get with you on Monday. And so Monday I've got this plan to go out to this big job site. Actually out where I grew up in Smithson Valley is a big Spallglass job out there. And, you know, he asked me to wait kind of towards the end of the day. So I didn't interrupt.

what they had going on and at last minute the buddy I had going with me canceled so I went alone. And I don't think I had been there 10 minutes and it happened. So it just, I mean, it's unbelievable.

Dr Terry (04:01.53)
When you say it happened, yeah.

Dr. Spencer Baron (04:02.028)
that yeah

Brandon Riedel (04:04.504)
Well, first I pulled into this job site and there was quite a bit of activity, you know, and I drove kind of past where the...

I guess, you know how the foreman typically has an office in the front of the property. And so as I got in with this long trailer, I kind of noticed it back to my right hand side. So I kind of turned around and I pulled right up to it. And the guy came out and I told him who I was and he said, well, the trees are right over here.

And so he's like, get after it or whatever. So I just went over there and all the trees were, I think there was four or five of them, but they were on the ground and they had torn them out with an excavator. So these things had huge root balls on them. And.

Of course, I went to the best tree first, naturally, in case you run out of time, or you know what I'm saying. I don't know how many trips it was gonna take, maybe a couple, but I wanted to get the best one first, right? That's what made sense to me. So I had one of the great big chainsaws, and sometimes we will haul them with the roots on them, but a couple things happen. One, they drop dirt.

on the highway, which you can get a ticket, but two, lot of times gravel will fall out and bounce and maybe break a windshield or something. So in the past, we'd always kind of learned to have a vehicle follow you. And that way you didn't, if there was any damage, it happened to one of your vehicles, right? But so anyhow, I go to cut this.

Brandon Riedel (05:52.845)
this root ball off this tree, because it's not a good enough tree where you would leave the roots attached. It's like some trophy trees will haul them that way because you can put it underneath the tree house and then leave all the roots attached and it makes a really cool column piece or something. But these weren't extravagant enough and they weren't worth the...

the risk and the weight as well, because they're very heavy. that, I walk up to the first one and I go to, to cut these roots off and I get, I grabbed my big saw out and fired off and I start cutting through the base of the tree, right? These roots are, I don't know, the way I remember it may be seven or eight foot tall.

And anyways, I get almost through the cut and naturally it starts to bind, right? And I was on the safe side the way the land was. There was a you know, kind of drop off on this other side, right? And so I went to the other side.

and I went to undercut and finished about a three inch cut on the base of that tree. Now there was a young guy there, I would say in his early 20s, and he had a big 10,000 pound loader and he was waiting to load that tree. But I didn't really know this guy. And so typically I would have had him put the bucket on the root to secure it, you know?

But I didn't really want him up close to me. I figured I was better off not knowing his skill set or he's a younger guy. I thought, you know, I'm fast and you know, typically that root will stand there or it might fall back or you know what I'm saying. So anyways, I go to finish this cut. And as soon as I do, it does it that big root ball.

Brandon Riedel (08:03.394)
goes to roll away, but it circled and then came back on me and just boom, crushed me. mean, so fast that there was no way you could jump out of the way. I can't even believe it can move that fast. And so I'm underneath this thing, huge root ball. And this kid runs up and he grabs it like he's gonna, I mean, that thing weighed, I don't know, a couple of few thousand pounds, surely, maybe more.

And so he's just like panicking, you And...

I see the foreman run out of the office building, run down the stairs and I see him call 911. And so I knew that had been done and this kid's like, what do I do, what do I do? And I was like, get that machine and roll this thing off of me, but be very, very careful because there's no teeth on your bucket and you'll drop it back down on me if you don't have a good hold on it. You know, it was a smooth bucket. So he gets on this,

this loader and he comes up real nice and gentle on my left side and he takes his time, he gets up underneath it and he just, he did a perfect job. He rolls it and that thing just, you know, away from me. And so I looked down and that's the first time I could see the damage that had happened. And it was like,

It was unbelievable. I've never really seen any, certainly not on my own body. You know, I don't think I've ever even broke a bone, but I looked down and my, my leg was broken around where the shin was and basically made a 90 degree turn. It just, I, I mean, you'd have to see it to believe that. And then I looked down at my arm and, the wrist was broken.

Brandon Riedel (10:03.242)
and two fingers were completely gone. I guess they're just crushed on her, you And so I'm bleeding out my arm and...

I took, I had a bandana around my neck, which we always wear in construction for a lot of different reasons. know, it's basically like a tool that we use to keep ourselves cool or shade ourselves. But I took it off immediately and I went around my arm and tied it with my mouth and wrapped around and then made a tourniquet with the bandana. And I basically was just sitting there holding it.

And I held it for 25 minutes until the ambulance got there. And it took, and I didn't realize it take them quite that long. Canyon Lake was the closest EMS and here they came, you know, and I think it was either four five guys. think it might've been five. Maybe, I don't know, I'm not positive, but they get out and they came over to me and you know, I was.

awake the whole time. Like I never, I was cognizant. And so the first thing they did was they brought these great big like industrial scissors and they cut my boot off on that dangling leg. And then they said, this is going to really hurt, but we're going to pick you up and put you on this, I guess a stretcher or whatever. And they took

and basically carried me and set me on like a kind of like a bed, like a rolling type of bed in the back of the ambulance. And it, the pain of them moving me was, I can't even describe it. It was just, and so they're driving out of this job site.

Brandon Riedel (12:09.504)
and every bump, know, we're hitting and I'm just sitting there like, you know, that was the, think the most painful part probably just driving out of the job site in that type of condition, hitting all the bumps. And he said, I'm going to get you something. And then the next thing, you know, I blacked out. I don't know if I pretty sure he used morphine. And anyways.

We had just pulled on the highway. I don't think we'd been a couple hundred yards and I'm out. And I don't know where we went, but they took me obviously to a helicopter because I came to and I'm over San Antonio in a military helicopter. It didn't have doors on it. So I could like look down and see all the buildings, you know.

So they were air-lifing me, right? But I don't really, I don't know where we went out there to land this helicopter. But anyways, they're like, stay with me and we'll have you there in six minutes. And so they took me to BAMC, you know, in San Antonio.

Dr. Spencer Baron (13:24.395)
Let me ask you, Brendan, was there that specific moment in your life where you're laying there, maybe in the hospital, where everything, it hit you that my life is never going back to the way it was? Or what did that feel like for you mentally?

Brandon Riedel (13:44.697)
Well, I think it started with being there laying on the ground. It's a really interesting experience because I had no fear. I I was not scared. I wasn't worried. And I was just speaking to the Lord. I mean, I was like, is this really my story?

I felt his presence. Absolutely. And so anyways, yeah, there were moments, you know, when I got to BAMC, they cut my hand off first, which was probably best because with missing two fingers, you know, that would have been kind of weird looking, you know.

And, so, you know, but, they, they basically rolled me into this big room with, there was about many surgeons in there and bright lights and all this. And, you know, I.

It all happened pretty fast. mean, for me, I made a joke out of it. Because I really didn't know, I didn't really know like, what you, I mean, it's kind of embarrassing, you know, you're in this situation. So, you I looked at the surgeons and this is really what happened. So I look at the surgeons and they...

you know, I introduced myself and you know, I'm sitting there my arm freaking broken, you know, and I was basically I was like, you know, I'm really sorry, you guys have to meet me this way. And I said, Hey, what does a do you know what a what a gay horse eats? And they looked at me like what in the world I was like, Hey, who's the surgeon said who is this guy, you know, but

Dr. Spencer Baron (15:45.792)
No.

Brandon Riedel (15:52.139)
I found that humor throughout the process was a way for me to cope with what was going on. And it started there, you know, and people asked me, they're like, well, how long did it take you to learn how to write left-handed? Because I was right-handed.

And I said, man, it's fake it till you make it, man. And basically they say, you want a blood transfusion? Sign here. So, I mean, I just scratched out a John Henry the best I could and that's what it was. And then I just kept practicing every day. you know, it's losing my whole right side. You know, driving's different. I have to drive with my left foot, you know, and you have to learn how to walk again. You have to learn how to right left-handed.

And so, I had plenty to do, you know, these things to work on and they, and they don't, well, so back to the story, they cut my hand off and they put me in a room and then I was underneath so much anesthesia that I couldn't even see people. I mean, I could hear their voices, but four feet away, they were blurry. I don't know if that's because it's the first time.

But I ended up having 13 surgeries in all and 47 days in the hospital. But only the first time was it where they just, it was crazy. Like I could hear my family there, but I couldn't see any of them. I knew their voices, but anyway, so they come in and they're like, listen,

I mean, I'm under so much anesthesia, I don't even know my hands cut off. I can still feel the nerves. I feel like maybe I still have my fingers, but I don't even really know. And so when I finally, you know...

Brandon Riedel (17:48.729)
come after it kind of wears off and whatnot, they approached me and they said, look, your leg, we don't believe that we're the right people to deal with that. And I'm like, seriously? Like that's a military hospital, you know what I mean? So yeah, they're like, we wanna take you down to university and have them do it. We think that they're better for this situation. So.

They moved me in an ambulance and I went down there and I was kind of an exciting process, know, wheeling in and seeing all the people and whatever, right? I mean, it's the whole thing's an adventure. I mean, you don't, you don't really know what's next. And so they start doing surgeries on my leg. mean, they put rods and bolts. I think I had three surgeries on my right leg. They had it straightened out.

They had blood flow, like they'd put a deal on the end and they were like, but I couldn't move my toes. And then, you know, I'm laying there, they got like a brace on it as well. And I'm laying, I'm swelling so much that my foot is covered in blisters. I guess the, I don't know what brought the blisters on.

but I guess just it swelling that much. So I was just sitting there and I just kept trying to move my toes and I just never could, you know? And so I think I'm at about surgery five and then one night all the machines start going off.

Beep, beep, beep, beep, beep, all these nurses run in and they said, we got to cut off your leg right now. All your organs are failing. Like you're going to die if we don't cut your leg off. And I said, let's go, you know? And so that's what happens, man. They take me back there. They cut my leg off above the knee.

Brandon Riedel (20:04.089)
and

That was pretty crazy, To wake up to that and just be all bandaged up and no leg. Quite an experience.

Dr. Spencer Baron (20:18.005)
I got a quick question for you. Can we back up for a moment? Did you say, how many kids do you have?

Brandon Riedel (20:26.67)
I have 10. It's a yes.

Dr. Spencer Baron (20:27.915)
10 kids. And did you remember any of their names during that time? I'm kidding, I'm messing with you, but that is unbelievable. I mean, being so under anesthesia, I can't imagine what you were experiencing at that point. But were they all in the same hospital room with you?

Brandon Riedel (20:53.294)
not all of them, you know how it is. I can't even get them all together for something that's good.

Dr. Spencer Baron (20:56.085)
That's all. That's all. Yeah.

Dang, that's a lot of children.

Brandon Riedel (21:04.97)
Yeah, it's a yours, mine, and ours situation. When I married, we each had four.

Dr. Spencer Baron (21:08.16)
Got it.

Dr. Spencer Baron (21:12.139)
Throwing two more in there and you gotta...

Brandon Riedel (21:14.1)
It was a blast, man, raising all those kids and experiencing all the things that we got to do.

Dr. Spencer Baron (21:22.283)
Good for you, man. Good for

Dr Terry (21:24.146)
You know, I gotta go, I'm listening to this all the time and your attitude is amazing. I mean, from the jokes to let's go for the next adventure. You know, I mean, who thinks like that? Most people would go to very dark places. And what was the first conscious or unconscious decision you made to set the tone for how you're gonna respond to this and deal with this?

Dr. Spencer Baron (21:29.929)
Yeah. Yeah.

Yeah.

Brandon Riedel (21:49.645)
Well...

Brandon Riedel (21:53.977)
For me, I just remembered reading a scripture, one that always stuck with me and I can't recall, but it's in Psalms, like 119 or, but anyways, it talks about how God has a special plan for your life, right? Like your steps are ordered and that's really what gave me the confidence. I mean, I just know that my life's been amazing up to this point.

and I could not have designed it any better really. So.

I know he's got something bigger planned and I can't wait to see what it is. And really that's, I remember the doctors coming in and being like, this is one of the most stoic situations we've ever experienced, you know? And, know, I'm just a country boy from, from spring branch. had to look up what that meant, you know? But anyways, I mean, yeah, I mean, you just keep learning, you know, they put me in physical therapy like immediately.

Dr Terry (22:50.982)
Hahaha!

Brandon Riedel (23:01.11)
I mean, I couldn't believe it. mean, I'm like, you know, I'm pretty aggressive person. I mean, that's, so what caused me to get into this situation is what also allowed me to get out of this situation because I just have the fortitude and the resilience and the strength. And,

So they start on this physical therapy stuff and I can't believe they have me doing this stuff with my, with what just took place, you know? And I keep blowing out these bandages like, cause I just get in there and I'm doing like pretty serious movements. And I mean, I would just saturate in blood, you know? I think I did it three different times. And then finally they're like, okay.

we're gonna have to slow down a little bit with you. And I just kept following their directions. I mean, they know what's going on better than I do. But, you know, that was cool. Like all the different people in physical therapy and they all have different stories and they're all just doing what they can, you know. To me, the most fun thing about all of it were the people.

because the nurses, the doctors, they're all real serious. mean, telling jokes or, you know, you can have a lot of fun with those people. And there's some of those people I'll never forget, you know, ever. I mean, they saved my life.

Dr Terry (24:37.042)
You know before this accident you weren't just a builder. What did you build and what did you do?

Brandon Riedel (24:45.164)
Well, my father was a prominent home builder here in the Hill Country. And I worked with him for 19 years and built about 300 custom homes, high-end custom homes with him. the 08 crash came, and there wasn't any work here. And for the first time in my life, I couldn't pay child support.

And I end up getting married for the second time in 2010, April of 2010. And I'm married into the Schlitterbund family here in New Braunfels, which is the number one water park in the world for the last 25 years. And so I start.

Brandon Riedel (25:44.671)
I don't know that they had just built the big water park up in Kansas City and they were flying all these carpenters down to start this massive project here in New Braunfels and naturally my wife was like, need to talk to my dad, you know, maybe you can. So originally I just went to work there as a carpenter. was just willing to do anything, but I moved up the ropes very quickly and within

Let's see. I would say four or five months I was in charge of a big portion of the project. All the tree houses and I had like 13 contractors there and I had, I think we had 86 guys from the company that were, and I wasn't in charge of all those guys but I had a,

I know, 20 of them, or I had to keep time sheets on and keep them directed along with the contractors and stuff. It was a blast. So yeah, we built those. That is actually, they bring in this tree specialist guy, this from California.

Brandon Riedel (27:12.096)
He's this 350 pound Norwegian guy named Clarence. And this guy, he's so cool, man. He's got long hair, you know, and he's got all the chainsaws and everything. And I had always cut trees and made things. mean, but this was a whole nother level, man. Like these kind of monstrous trees and whatnot. And I just totally...

thought it was like, you know, living a dream, you know? And so this guy starts teaching me things, you know, and we're using beautiful trees to build this project. And it kind of just went on and on. I mean, we ended up...

flying in a plane one time when there was a flood and flying all the, you know, the waterways and finding all the trees and we'd drop a pin in the airplane. And then when we'd get down on ground, we'd drive to the ranch and then try to, you know, and then we'd go haul all these trees back to our sawmills. And I mean, it was just, it was my cup of tea, man. Like we were having a blast, you know, like when the Bastrop fire happened.

That guy knew this huge guy that was going in there to clean up the whole situation, right? He got the government job and we ended up making a deal with him if we could keep the trucks coming. I he would have to mulch the trees up and then get rid of the mulch or whatever. And we hauled 10,000 loblolly pine trees out of out of that. And then we milled all 10,000. I mean, we milled them.

We were building a huge sawmill out here on Lake Dunlap. And I think we were like $650,000 into it and they shut the project down. I mean, we had too many projects going on and I mean, usually you find a source of trees and then you go build a sawmill where the trees are. don't...

Brandon Riedel (29:25.272)
build a sawmill and haul the trees to you. You know what mean? that, the whole thing was a huge learning experience, you know, but yeah, I mean, it's just like anything else you do, you know, whether you're hunting arrowheads or, you know, finding the best tree or, you know, these trees that are hundreds of years old, you know, and being able, like the Cyprus, you cannot,

you can't cut them down. They're protected. So the only way you can get them is from a natural disaster. And so during the floods, man, we got, I remember one that we got that was 490 years old and we used it down on the hotel we were building in Corpus Christi at the entrance. This thing was, I don't know, maybe like.

It's about five foot at the base, would say, something like that.

Dr. Spencer Baron (30:25.033)
You talking about the floods that were in like Houston or the big the

Brandon Riedel (30:29.806)
Well, we had one right here and I'm trying to think what year that was

Dr. Spencer Baron (30:35.529)
because there was that big flood a couple years ago.

Brandon Riedel (30:38.602)
Nah, this one was like around...

I want to say, I'd have to look at my pictures because they have the dates on them, but it seems like it was around 17. I've done so many projects and so many trees, it kind of starts to run together. But where we found them all was at a ranch in San Marcos, and it was the people that owned the McCoy's Lumber.

Dr. Spencer Baron (30:51.304)
Yeah.

Brandon Riedel (31:06.026)
here in town and so anyways, we're out there and We were out there for four months hauling trees out of there. They give them to you free if You'll clean up the area, you know, and there were trees everywhere and also there were people there were I can't remember how many people were missing and Killed you know, so while we're out there, there's these big search parties and you could smell

a smell that's one you don't want to smell. I think a lot of it was cattle, like in these big piles of debris. You don't know, are they people or are they animals or? So these search parties are out scouring the land. I remember seeing groups of like, you know, eight or 10, they're just searching for bodies. You know, it's quite an interesting thing.

But I have never seen anything like that.

Dr Terry (32:04.914)
You know, it's really interesting. mean, this theme of trees is woven in your life, both good, prosperous, bad, changing your life. I mean, you have this like this. If you want to go religious, you have this cross made out of wood that has been part of your life, whole existence. And I want to know, you went from this physical identity of searching and working trees to now you have a different identity. How did you, in a world of construction,

How did you match this new identity?

Brandon Riedel (32:38.644)
Brandon Riedel (32:42.246)
That is something you have to work at. One night I was laying in the hospital bed and I see this childhood neighbor on Facebook and he's connected to a blood vacuum just like me.

And he's laying in a hospital in Nashville. Okay. And I hadn't talked to him in 31 years. Now he, he had got in a car accident right out of high school. think he was just about to start Baylor and ended up having his whole foot was mangled, you know, and they, tried to keep it and they did all kinds of surgeries and different things. eventually he cut his leg off, you know, but he's below the knee.

So anyhow, he had an infection and returns to a hospital some 24 or 25 years after his initial accident. But I'm laying there and I see him. And like we both have this same blood vacuum hooked to us. then, and I don't remember who reached out first, but the next thing you know, we're talking on the telephone through Facebook, like an audio call.

And so immediately, like I say, we hadn't talked in 31 years. He just starts.

Brandon Riedel (34:16.046)
you know, making me familiar with the process, what to expect, you know, and what he did. And just to have a friend to talk to, especially one that you hadn't, I the last time I had seen him, I might've been like, I think I was maybe 17, and here I am laying in a bed at 49, something like that, maybe 48, it's hard to, anyway, it is a long time.

So yeah, so that to answer your question.

Brandon Riedel (34:52.586)
It is a whole new identity and you have to start learning and.

I had, you know, once I got out, you know, I just remember returning to my place and, you know, I'm just like, it's unbelievable. Like I'm sitting there, I have no prosthetics, I can't drive. I'm just like looking out a window, you know, and kind of staring at my guitar like, man, why didn't I play more, you know?

You know, you're kind of processing all this stuff, you know, and

I had a tremendous amount of social anxiety. And really, it really wasn't because of people being rude or staring. That's not really what it was. It's just because you're not comfortable with yourself or your new identity. So, that accident happened March 5th of 2024.

Brandon Riedel (36:02.954)
I end up with an infection and back in the hospital six weeks after I'd been out. And that's when they, it was supposed to be an in and out type thing. They said two hours and you know, they basically said you have an infection and if we don't open it up.

you'll always ooze and it'll mess up your prosthetic. There's a guy that just left, he never would go through with it because he didn't want to open it and he's still having issues years later. Like we have to go in there, right? So I'm in there on a Thursday and he wants to see me the next day to reopen my leg. And I was like waiting to be measured for my prosthetic. I was like, seriously, we got to do this again?

So I show up the next day and I wake up and I'm in the ICU with a tube down my throat and it was not an in and out man. They got in there and found that it was in the bone and so they basically tell me we got to cut off another four and a half inches of your leg and I'm like will I ever walk again because I'm already pretty short here you know.

And it was, like I say, it's on a Friday. And they're like, well, we can't answer that question. You know, I didn't know.

about osteointegration or any of those things at that time I've learned, you know, that's where they drill a hole and put a piece of metal in your hip and then you can, I didn't know, you know, there's different ways you can do it, but what I did laying there over the weekend is I called my brother-in-law and that he builds prosthetics here in San Antonio, or he did at the time, I think he's changed jobs, right? And I, so he was a consultant for me.

Brandon Riedel (37:55.907)
But unfortunately, the people that he worked for wouldn't allow him to work on family. But anyways, I call up my sister and I've got her on a FaceTime and I tell her what just happened. And I saw, when she kind of conveyed the message to him, I saw the look on his face and he didn't even have to talk.

And I was like, my gosh, this... I would just want to know if I was gonna walk again. That was really my question. And he was like, well, it's not impossible, but I mean, you have to wear a waist sling. He starts kind of going through all these things. Anyway, so I lay there all weekend like, golly.

So anyways, to go in for the next surgery, another complication, my heart did something.

back in the ICU and they come and they say, look, man.

What they ended up doing is they decided instead of cutting more of the leg off, they were going to drill up the bone four inches and fill it full of antibiotics. And so they attempted to do that, but something with my heart. And then on the third time they got it. But I think the drill in the bone hurt more than cutting the leg off. I mean, I, I, I guess nerves or what I just.

Brandon Riedel (39:35.906)
The, yeah, I couldn't even move in the hospital bed. I mean, it's unbelievable pain. anyways, there's a lot to be grateful for just feeling good.

Dr Terry (39:51.731)
You know, I'm listening to this and most people say stay positive and all this, which is a mindset change. But in reality, it's a lot of work, right? And I think people just think it's just, just be positive. How did you, can you describe, you're kind of describing it, but some of this work and when you would get this bad news and this bump and you'd be slammed down, I know your faith is pulling you back up, but what's some of the work you did to keep?

yourself back up because Dr. Spencer and I hear all the time my back hurts, my ankle hurts, my wrist hurts, and I just can't go on. And here you are having stuff that's more than any of us can comprehend and you just kept going on. What kind of work did you put in that some of you can grasp onto?

Brandon Riedel (40:37.23)
When I worked at Schlitterbahn, know, that was an amazing experience to be inside of an empire and see how they operate. know, see, you know, learn their things that they, well, like trade secrets basically, you know, their mottos, their rules of, you know, and one of the things that I learned, and I think I already knew it, but not to this extent.

was basically using what you have to move forward. And so, you we do these huge projects and we never had enough money and they were, my father-in-law is amazing artist and he would use a lot of reclaimed materials and things. so a lot of these things we would get free, but you have to go do the work to get the stuff, right? And so I would say,

That's what I did. I I was in a wheelchair and it was kind of hard because typically you use two arms, but I only had one. So I just started going out on the sidewalk and I would just use one arm and then put my foot on the ground and pull at the same time.

And really, you know how you have expansion joints in the sidewalk? And they would have like small ramps, you know, where they have drainage areas or whatever. And so the first day, I mean, it was just my goal to try to make it like 40 yards and just be seen in public, you know? And I was, I got up to that ramp and I was kind of nervous, you know, if I, and it really, was only about a four or five inch drop.

and then four or five inches up back to it. But I just kind of looked at it and I thought, man, what if I get stuck? I mean, there's no one out here. You know, do I hop and try to pull this? You know, I mean, you're just thinking all this through, you know? And so I just basically turned around and I made it home and that was my first outing. And then the next, I just, what I've learned in life is,

Brandon Riedel (42:54.67)
You know, if you mentally conquer something, then the physical part just happens naturally, right? That's the big thing. So I just thought about that ramp all night, you know, I went to sleep and everything. And then the next day my goal was to cross that, which to most people would be just a silly little, you know, it's just five foot down and five foot up. But when you're all alone,

and you don't know what you can do. So I did it and I went down like another, I was gonna just try to do anything further, but I felt pretty, you know, I kind of got gained some momentum. felt, so I went like another four yards and then I turned around and made it home, you know, and every day I just tried to improve and that's where it starts, working with what you have.

Dr. Spencer Baron (43:49.512)
Have you always been that way? Even before the accident?

Brandon Riedel (43:49.962)
and then continue the building.

Brandon Riedel (43:57.838)
I'm not sure what you mean.

Dr. Spencer Baron (44:00.316)
Someone who pushes themselves just a little bit more every day, depending on what your challenge is. Yeah. Did you play sports in high school or college or?

Brandon Riedel (44:05.538)
Yes, absolutely.

Brandon Riedel (44:14.432)
I tried everything once to experience it, but I raised show steers and I love that so much that I did it all for, you can't really do both, right? And so I did it all four years in high school and would travel and do all these, man, it was a blast, you know? And then I had a final finale like my senior year.

Dr. Spencer Baron (44:16.487)
Yeah.

Dr. Spencer Baron (44:28.103)
Yeah.

Brandon Riedel (44:42.478)
I placed second in Houston. I got in the top 10 in Texas and I won a jacket and I won a, I remember winning a buckle. I mean, it was like a perfect ending to all of that. All I ever wanted was a buckle, you know? And I got it my senior year. It was so cool.

Dr. Spencer Baron (45:00.517)
things in life.

It's so funny. I was just talking about show steers to someone just last week because one of our one of the Miami dolphin guys years ago, he was so excited to come in and tell us that he got a he got this, you know, 10,000 or $20,000 straw. I go a straw. What's do you a straw? You know what? You know where I'm going with this? I'm sure you do. Yeah, he was artificially inseminating one or.

Brandon Riedel (45:21.966)
Yeah.

I'm pretty sure I do.

Brandon Riedel (45:29.971)
Dr. Spencer Baron (45:31.56)
So the straw was loaded with semen from a prize winning steer. So I thought where, so show steers. The moment you said that, go, oh, I know what this is. I know what that's all about. But, you know, let me ask you though, you know, the element of competition, the perspective of how you are internally, is it something that you've, what I was trying to get at was it's something you've always been, you know,

self-motivated? Did you learn that connection between the physical and the emotional? Or is that something that you always had on your

Brandon Riedel (46:12.994)
Well, I came from a family of, there was five of us, kids. I was the oldest and I really didn't do too good in school.

I didn't have the best self-esteem, know, and that's it. basically took me my whole life to like gain the confidence that I had, you know, because I finally, you know, I have 10 children. have a couple of really good businesses, you know, we have land, all these things. And I felt really accomplished, you know, and

It's just amazing. You have an accident like that. For one, all your priorities change, you know. And I had all of those things taken from me, you know, through the divorce process, you know. So what a change in identity. mean, not just physically, but everything that you're known for, you know. I mean, going from having, you know, we have all those kids.

in a house and they always had four or five friends over almost at all times, you So I go from living on all this land and horses and cattle and chickens and you know, we have,

Brandon Riedel (47:42.591)
all of our employees coming from our business. know, in the summertime we would have 70 plus employees. So they would be coming by to get for a long time. We were had the office in our house until we could afford to buy a rent, a office area and storage and all that. But I mean, it was like a zoo over there all the time. So, you know, the next thing you know, I'm like a bachelor living by myself.

without an arm and a leg. So it is pretty, pretty different. You know, I hadn't lived in an apartment since 1995 when we chased the building.

Dr. Spencer Baron (48:21.511)
But Brandon, know, though I gotta highlight this one thing about you that I've realized. You you could take away all the fun stuff, the kid, you could take away the wife, the kids, the house, the money, the farm and all that, but there's something they can't take away and that's your mindset. Your mindset is something that is obviously rock solid through all of this and you've got this attitude. Did you...

Listen, we're on a podcast. People are wanting to listen in on this. Tell us the truth about how you, are you really that positive? that somewhat, is it because of faith? is driving you?

Brandon Riedel (49:05.226)
It's faith. It's that's No, I mean, I was a believer. But I wasn't living for the Lord, you know, in. 2006, my first. Divorce, you I spun off the handle. I mean, I was drinking and drugging and finally burn my house down OK on a on a Thanksgiving.

Dr. Spencer Baron (49:08.377)
Has it always been that way?

Brandon Riedel (49:35.406)
evening and you know my kids are out in the front yard watching the house burn and that's when I had my real wake-up call you know

Brandon Riedel (49:50.839)
These guys show up, all these fire trucks, they've got chainsaws cutting holes in the roof and sticking these hoses, know, and all this craziness. And my kids are there crying. And I realized, you know, I thank God, He just kind of kept, it just kept getting worse and worse, you know. And that was the final straw. I gave my life to the Lord. I started living for Him.

and I got in a Bible study and you know I was a was a meth addict and I was able to defeat that addiction and I have actually today that was an 06 I've been clean 20 years so that's a and you know ironically I ended up at a house on Thanksgiving this year

after the bar closed, right? And then they start chopping lines, right? And yeah, I've had people ask me one-on-one, but not ever with 10 people in the room, you know? So it's kind of ironic that it would happen at the exact same day that I had my, you know, fire. But anyways, that was the first time that I said, guys, I can't participate. And, you know.

recovered drug addict and I appreciate it and I and thank you for having me here, but that's not something I can do and So that was a big deal for me. I went and told my grandma about it kind of weird but you know, but it you know, it is what it is

Dr. Spencer Baron (51:36.807)
You had to tell someone, but you went from rock bottom and you experienced it all and you resurrected yourself and found faith that allowed you to hold up that shield and be positive enough to walk away from what tested you. The people on that Thanksgiving day were testing.

Theoretically they were testing your ability to say no. So that is very admirable. do you feel knowing that you, that add more strength to your ability to move forward?

Brandon Riedel (52:24.704)
I mean, it's a milestone, you know, but as an addict, you know, there's things that are socially acceptable and things that are not, okay? But the truth is an addict is fighting energy drinks, cigarettes, alcohol, you know, all these things are socially acceptable, right? They're all just different levels. And so, you know, I don't...

I don't know that I've ever had a drinking problem. I mean, I think I did after my first divorce, but, you know, after my accident.

Brandon Riedel (53:07.98)
I quit drinking for two years because I was really nervous I might spin out of control again, you know, especially with these things going on. And then for whatever reason, 4th of July, I picked it up again. You know, all the kids had just drowned. I basically, I had just stayed home for so long and been so introverted. Really, I just wanted to be, just do something, get out of the house, you know.

Cause I unplugged and I don't know how healthy that is. You know, I think for me, I had to kind of process all these new changes in my life. And you know, you're just trying to think like, you know, what do I do next? You know, it's just, I think the...

I that I heard this guy, I was sitting in a sauna one day. I never really heard this before, but he was like, success, you you got to pay rent every day. You got to get up and make it happen. And I was like, wow, I've never heard that before. And so, you know, really it is one day at a time and you do, you can work with what you have. And then it just starts growing. And

And that's what happened with me.

Dr. Spencer Baron (54:30.35)
Hey, Brandon, just for the viewers and listeners, you made a comment, I'm not sure how accurate, or you were being facetious. You said the kids drowned. Is that what I heard you say? I thought you said something about the kids.

Brandon Riedel (54:45.204)
No, I didn't say that.

Brandon Riedel (54:49.87)
I'm not recalling. mean, the kids watched my house burn. mean, to see your kids that emotional and seeing that, you know, I didn't mention this part. This is maybe just another joke in the middle of all of it, but I had one of those great big firework things you buy.

Dr. Spencer Baron (54:54.565)
Yeah, yeah.

okay. I gotcha. Alright, good.

Just.

Brandon Riedel (55:15.806)
in the attic, right? So as this fire's going on the next, and I had ammunition up there too. So as this fire's going on, the next thing you know, you know, rocket. mean, is, anyways, I just thought I'd add that, but that actually happened. It's kind of, yeah.

Dr. Spencer Baron (55:32.026)
That could have been a good distraction. Go ahead Terry, before I do the rapid fire, you want to ask?

Dr Terry (55:35.438)
Hey, hey.

Oh, I got so yeah, I got to ask something you've gone through. I had no idea you went from a drug act. And I mean, like Dr. Spencer said, you've been tested. How is your life? And every time somebody was trying to slam you down, you know, first it was like, you know, your drugs, then you lost your family, you got divorced, then the tree falls on you, you lose half your right side of your body. I mean, and then you keep getting picked up.

But every time your life changed. So when you got divorced, your life changed. You went from a house to an apartment. Then, then, else, your life changed. I mean, and yet, and you almost seem to find something good on the other side. What is...

Where's your life now after going through all of this and losing your right side or body? What does life look like now for Brendan? So somebody that may be on the other side of the curtain that hasn't walked through yet can have something to grab onto. What does your life look like after going through this?

Brandon Riedel (56:39.19)
Well...

For me, probably other than faith, the number one thing for me has been the gym. And I go six days a week. I wasn't even able to do that. I had so much social anxiety, my leg would fall off at times. Like if I'd get on a bike, I mean, you don't, it's just.

to deal with that in public and everyone's staring, like it was kind of hard, you know? So I started just going here to the apartment gym as a small little gym. And a lot of times even no one's in there and really just to try to figure out how to get on the machine, you know? And then you have to learn how to operate it. And so I just kind of started slow and then,

One day was like, okay, I'm ready for the big time. You know, I'm gonna go to the big gym. And I tell you what, man, it took me about two or three days. I kept saying, well, I'll do it tomorrow. You know, I was really nervous. And so I finally make my way to Gold's Gym. And man, my heart was beating fast and all these, you know, good looking females and people, you know, I'm just.

Basically try not to be seen but you know, you can't blend in when you look like me, you know, but anyways I just started a day at a time and after maybe like I Don't know about a year. Yeah, I I started People don't just talk to you right away there. I mean some do but a lot of the serious people They're serious. They're there to get a job done, you know, and you start learning this gym etiquette and how things work and

Brandon Riedel (58:32.468)
It's like a whole thing, right? Like, I'm still learning, but this one guy I met that was real friendly going through your divorce as well, he kind of told me that he had a goal of meeting a person a day. And I was like, man, that's really cool. You know? So I started doing that. And it kind of, the easiest place was the sauna, of course, because, you know, everyone's just sitting there.

Dr. Spencer Baron (58:34.319)
Yeah.

Brandon Riedel (59:01.62)
And so a lot of conversations are going on, but it is a little bit more difficult on the floor. You don't want to be rude or interrupt or whatever. But I started doing that. And then the next thing you know, man, I.

I knew hundreds of people, you know? And then one of the things on their advertisement, there's a guy missing his right leg and his right arm, and he does like this jump up on this thing with his leg in the air and all this stuff, and he's like a real badass, you know? And he had a shaved head like I do, and people started coming up, are you the guy? You know, and I, you know, I never claimed it, but I should have, you know, it'd be kind

Dr Terry (59:43.652)
you

Brandon Riedel (59:44.065)
The dude is a total stud. But anyways, that a lot of people started coming up and asking, you know, and I don't know that place there just mentally and it what a wonderful place, man. I mean, that is is a huge key for me to keep going. So to answer your question, I'm in there and I'm in there from two to four hours a day, you know.

And, you know.

Dr. Spencer Baron (01:00:15.907)
Let that be a testimonial for most of our patients that are couch potatoes, they can't get started. So I'm glad you brought that up because no one has an excuse that's good enough. And especially someone in your situation that found some emotional relief in a place like a gym. Dr. Terry, do we have time for rapid fire?

Dr Terry (01:00:42.962)
Give him a couple of them.

Dr. Spencer Baron (01:00:45.285)
All right, all right. This is nearing the end of the show that we ask you bunch of questions that you have to give a very short answer to regarding our rapid fire questions. And we have a few of them for you. And if you're ready, I'm going to fire off number one. Ready? All right, Brandon. Question number one. How has your relationship with trees have changed over the years?

Brandon Riedel (01:01:02.36)
Yes, sir.

Brandon Riedel (01:01:14.89)
It hasn't. I'm glad it's part of my story because I could have been in an accident or something, but instead I was doing what I love to do. So I think it's, I wouldn't have it any other way.

Dr. Spencer Baron (01:01:21.402)
Good deal.

Dr. Spencer Baron (01:01:30.629)
Good answer. Question number two, what's one trait that you had before the accident that ended up saving you after the accident?

Brandon Riedel (01:01:43.343)
I would have to say strength, know? I mean, all of it. I mean, it's without that, I don't know. There's not a whole lot of in between with this stuff. Guys either crash or they skyrocket. You know, I haven't and that's what I've heard through the grapevine. You know, it's just not much in the middle.

Dr. Spencer Baron (01:01:46.615)
emotional strength.

Dr. Spencer Baron (01:02:05.059)
Absolutely right.

Brandon, who's been your anchor through all of this? And was it something that they did that meant more than they probably realized?

Brandon Riedel (01:02:22.53)
You know, that's...

Brandon Riedel (01:02:29.28)
A lot of people come to mind, you I don't want to say one and discredit others, but you know, know how they say it takes a village to raise a child. And well, that's the person that came to mind, my meemaw, right? I don't know how you knew that. I mean, my grandfather as well, but he's in a home with dementia, right? So every time I see him, Hey, what happened to your leg? You know, so, so,

Dr. Spencer Baron (01:02:38.117)
How about grandma?

Brandon Riedel (01:02:59.251)
Anyways, they're equally, you hit the nail on the head.

Dr. Spencer Baron (01:03:06.341)
Question number four, Brendan. What was the hardest part of competing in your first triathlon that we haven't even talked about, but give us a little moment of what that hard part was, the physical or the mental or what?

Brandon Riedel (01:03:24.526)
you

Brandon Riedel (01:03:27.96)
For me, was speaking in front of people. That's always been the greatest fear of my life. So they put me on this stage riding a bike in front of hundreds of people, you know, and that was the scariest part to me, not the doing the stuff. I mean, that...

Dr. Spencer Baron (01:03:50.533)
You know, the audience doesn't know that Dr. Terry asked a question of you before the show started and that was, did you ever compete in a triathlon before the accident? And your answer was. So I think it's fascinating that you took a challenge that you've never tried before and you went through. Bravo to you. I got one more question for you. You ready?

You lost your right hand and your right leg. But what's something you gained that you would never trade back even if you could?

Brandon Riedel (01:04:34.498)
I think it's the depth of the relationship with God. Because really without that, none of this is possible. So it just took it to a whole nother level because I can remember my daughter asking the ladies, the nurses or whatever, is my dad gonna live? And they at one time they basically said, we don't even know how he's still alive. And so...

just having that relationship, man. That's it for me.

Dr. Spencer Baron (01:05:12.602)
Bravo to you, man. You're a rock star. I appreciate this whole interview. Thank you so much, Brendan. Really, really good stuff.