A New Life, New Challenges

Six months after he broke his neck trying to catch a suicidal woman who fell six stories, Conrad Buchanan was able to smile and crack a few jokes as he left the hospital Tuesday, facing life as a quadriplegic.

The 26-year-old former mall security guard and father of two daughters was released from Northridge Hospital Medical Center after a grueling stay that included several operations.

“I feel good,” said Buchanan, sitting in a wheelchair, accompanied at a news conference by a daughter, his sister, his mother and a niece. “I feel so happy that I’m going home.”

Buchanan broke his neck in November as he tried to catch a woman who jumped from the sixth floor of the Sherman Oaks Galleria parking garage.

Officials called it an act of heroism even though the 68-year-old Camarillo woman, Julie Light, died.

Buchanan, who will require a full-time nurse to live in his new Long Beach apartment, said Tuesday that he had no regrets about trying to save Light, who apparently was inconsolable after her husband’s death.

“I saw a person who needed help and my first instinct was to help,” said Buchanan. “I wasn’t expecting to come across this difficulty, but I don’t regret it at all.”

Light’s son, Jon Light, a Camarillo attorney, said his family has been in constant touch with Buchanan. “Most people wouldn’t even consider doing what he did,” Jon Light said at the news conference.

Putting his hand on Buchanan’s shoulder, Light added, “We’re all moving on, but unfortunately Conrad has to live with this every day.”

Buchanan’s mother, Norma, held his hand and said her son has never lost hope throughout his long rehabilitation. “He’s always positive,” she said.

Buchanan said he drew strength from God and his family. But he admits to worrying how he will handle life in a wheelchair. The formerly athletic, broad-shouldered man is separated from his wife and must rely on round-the-clock care paid for by workers’ compensation.

He can move his head from side to side and make facial expressions. He is able to breath without assistance but must keep a tube in his throat in case he should again need to use a ventilator.

“The hardest thing now is how to deal with the world, how to try to cope with this,” he said. “It’s very difficult.”

Dr. Joel Rosen, director of spinal cord injuries at Northridge, believes Buchanan’s generally positive attitude will help him at home.

“He’s always been cooperative and motivated,” Rosen said. “There were some crises, but he always came through.”

Considering what Buchanan has been through, Rosen said. “He’s doing incredibly well.”