It’s that sparkling young adult that parents Varden and Becky Hadfield hope to have back some day soon, but first he would have come out of the coma he has been in for a week.

Wesley Hadfield is smart. He attended Foothill Elementary School in the ALL (advanced learners) program. He played in the jazz band at Canyon View Junior High and was a star soccer player at Maeser Preparatory Academy in Lindon.

Wesley is the third of six Hadfield children and was not only attending college.

Wesley Hadfield also likes to long board. He had just purchased an electric longboard and decided to take it on a first run from his apartment around Thanksgiving Point in Lehi to his parents place, just off the Murdock Canal trail at the mouth of Provo Canyon.

Courtesy Becky Hadfield

He hadn’t even had time to purchase a helmet but thought he would take a ride anyway.

According to Becky Hadfield, Wesley left home at about 11:20 a.m. and started along the trail. Near Lehi Center Street there is a concrete tunnel that boarders and cyclists must go through. Wesley went in the tunnel but never came out the other side.

It appears that he crashed into the concrete head first. “There were no scratch marks anywhere on him,” Becky Hadfield said. “We don’t understand why, not even on his hands or face.”

Wesley was on the ground bleeding profusely from his ears and nose. Within just a few minutes two bikers found him and called the paramedics. They arrived on the scene around 11:45 a.m. and transported Wesley to the Intermountain Healthcare Trauma 1 center in Murray, one of two places in the state that could care for him.

By 12:05 p.m. the Lehi Police had found Becky Hadfield’s phone number and called to say Wesley had a traumatic brain injury.

Courtesy Becky Hadfield

“They had not done any surgery” Becky Hadfield said. “He was mostly comatose and started waking up between 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. He showed a little recognition of people.”

Wesley had to be rushed into surgery for brain swelling, leading surgeons to remove part of his skull. As of Saturday he was still medically sedated to prevent further swelling and increased blood pressure from stimulation.

“It is unpredictable how much he’ll get back and what quality of life he’ll have,” said Becky Hadfield. “There has been some response and the neurosurgeon said that was a positive.”

It will also be extremely costly over the next few years. One of the Hadfield’s friends, Leslie Zimmerman, asked if a GoFundMe page could be started, but the Hadfields were hesitant.

“We have good insurance, but there will be a lot of therapy the insurance won’t cover,” Becky Hadfield said. “So we said ok.”

The GoFundMe page is seeking $25,000 to help with those therapies. At noon Saturday there had been $16,139 donated.

“If you know Wes or the Hadfield family, you know how much they give to the community with no expectations in return,” Zimmerman said.

While the Hadfield family waits for Wesley to come out of medical sedation, Becky Hadfield is asking that parents, individuals and youth wear protective helmets when boarding or going faster than your feet can carry you.

“I see kids riding on electric devices without helmets all the time, so maybe this incident will save someone else,” Becky Hadfield said.