TUCSON, Ariz. — The family of 24-year-old Tucson Army veteran Jordan Albright, says he's lucky to be alive after 240 pounds of weights fell on his neck at the gym, despite having a spotter.
His wife Cristi-Ana Albright says they went to the gym on May 21 and Jordan started doing his bench press warm-up like he normally does, but this time, the bar had slipped as he was unracking.
The bar landed on his neck that caused major trauma to his airway and sent him to the hospital.
Jordan received an emergency tracheostomy, had a lung collapse, was diagnosed with a massive hole in his windpipe, received a chest tube, and was put on a ventilator.
She said if he was lifting his max weight, which is about 300 lbs, he most likely wouldn't have survived.
Within a week, Jordan has been making incredible progress.
According to Cristi-Ana, the hole in his windpipe is no longer there, he is off the ventilator and chest tube, but still has the PEG tube (feeding tube) and trach tube to help him breathe.
He has been moved out of the ICU and passed his swallow evaluation and was cleared for soft foods and liquids.
“But yesterday he got to take his first sip of water. He said it was the best sip of water he’s had in his whole life so that was a huge milestone," Cristi-Ana said.
Jordan was also able to get up and take several laps walking around the halls.
His double vision and dexterity have also improved and he's now able to communicate via text or writing.
"We're hoping either today or tomorrow to try a speaking valve that would allow him to communicate verbally, which would be great," Cristi-Ana said.
On top of his recovery— Jordan is facing high medical bills. He is uninsured as he was supposed to start his job with the Sahuarita Police Department (SPD) on June 2 and the academy July 22.
Though Cristi-Ana says the police chief called and told her they are still holding his position for a year.
“And so when Jordan got off the sedation, that was one of the first things I told him, like hey you still have your job and it was super emotional.” Cristi-Ana said. "He was so excited, so relieved and I think it will be the perfect motivator to get him back and moving."
She says Jordan is in good spirits, improving each day, and is looking forward to being back in the gym.
“His faith is really important to him and so just hanging onto those promises that God is good and loves him, and there's a purpose in this awful development,"Cristi-Ana said. "But also he says you know, being so close to almost losing his life has made him appreciate every little thing he ever took for granted, even just getting up to go to the bathroom."
The Albright's say the community is rallying behind them and are so grateful for the support they've received.
“It’s been so humbling and overwhelming, but in the best possible way. I get emotional every time I think about it because we feel so loved and so supported, and we're just so deeply grateful to have this amazing community," Cristi-Ana said. "It helps the financial stress load so much. It makes it feel like we're going to be okay at the end of this."
Cristi-Ana says Jordan is resilient and will persevere.
“He’s super motivated to get out of there, to get home. He's been working with PT [physical therapy], moving around, so he’s doing phenomenally well," Cristi-Ana said.
Cristi-Ana and Jordan have been together since 2020 and got married in August 2024.
She calls Jordan the best husband ever and wants other people to know what kind of man he is.
"He is so sweet. He's so caring. Of the two of us, he's definitely the romantic. But he also just has this amazing work ethic and this incredible drive, and he's always pursuing something new, always learning something new," Cristi-Ana described. "And he's just a genuinely kind person. He's really awesome."
She says Jordan's goals are to get out of the tubes as soon as possible.
"He'll be going home with those and he's hoping in a couple of weeks, get them out of here, they're done," Cristi-Ana said. "But then after that, he wants to continue just working on getting back in shape for the police academy. He's super motivated for that, but he also said he wants to not take life so seriously, and appreciate the journey to reaching goals."
Cristi-Ana and their family are looking forward to Jordan recovering and coming home soon.
If you would like to stay up date on his progress, you can visit Cristi-Ana's Facebook page where she's keeping everyone informed about his latest developments.
