From The Fall To The Climb Back: A Builder's Journey
Author: Joe Salyer Communications Director for Billings Clinic
Joe Salyer
Communications Director for Billings Clinic
For decades, Chuck Blair built things – homes, hospital wings, and a wonderful life with his wife Kathy in Park County, Montana. An expert carpenter by trade, Chuck devoted 25 years to transforming Livingston’s local hospital – now Livingston Health Care, a Billings Clinic affiliate – before retiring in 2015. When he and his wife, Kathy, moved to Broadwater County that same year, he picked up where he left off – building once again, this time working on their new home and an expansion project at their church.
But on July 31, 2023, everything changed.
A sweltering 95-degree day found Chuck working on an 8-by-6-foot platform without a railing. In an instant, he lost his balance and fell, landing headfirst. He remembers nothing of the fall, the frantic ambulance ride, or the initial ER visit at Billings Clinic Broadwater in Townsend.
His first memory was the unmistakable whirring of helicopter blades. Billings Clinic MedFlight had arrived.
Chuck was transferred to Billings Clinic’s Level I Trauma Center for timely and crucial care, where he learned he had fractured multiple vertebrae. This was a life-threatening injury – the kind some people don’t walk away from. But Billings Clinic neurosurgeon Dr. Dusty Richardson gave Chuck hope, even as he spoke plainly.
“He was honest, respectful, and confident,” Chuck recalled. “He didn’t sugarcoat anything, but I felt like I had someone in my corner.”
Chuck underwent spinal fusion surgery and began his long recovery journey. While the original plan was for him to recover at the Rehabilitation Hospital of Montana, Chuck hoped to heal closer to home. Thanks to support from Dr. Richardson and the Billings Clinic Broadwater team, that hope became a reality.
Physical therapist Seth Halverson led Chuck’s rehabilitation. First through the hospital’s swing bed program, then in outpatient therapy, Chuck worked daily to regain strength, balance and mobility.
“Chuck was ready,” Halverson said. “That’s a big part of success in recovering from something like this. He was motivated and engaged. You’d walk in and he’d say, ‘Let’s go.’”
Chuck’s commitment paid off. On a good day, he says he feels “more than 99% recovered” and is optimistic about regaining a full range of motion.
“Of course, the obvious thing here is the gratitude I have for the expertise of Dr. Richardson when it mattered most, but the truth is, I don’t know that I would be where I am now, that I would have recovered as fully as I have up to this point, without the expert physical therapy I received at Billings Clinic Broadwater." “Nurses, therapists, even the food service team – they all treated me like a person, not a patient,” he added. “It was friendly, heartfelt care. One night during my stay, I had shrimp, perfectly cooked. For a moment, it felt like life was normal again.”
Today, Chuck is back to doing what he loves. He still builds, and these days, it’s much more than just buildings, but also strength, connection, hope and faith. He still enjoys working in his yard and is grateful each day he’s able to enjoy all the good things.
From a life-changing fall to a remarkable recovery, Chuck’s journey reflects the spirit of Broadwater County – grit, grace, and a community that shows up when it matters most.
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Image 1 Caption: Chuck and Kathy Blair at their home near the Missouri River at Toston.
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