My mom and I arrived in Little Rock last night around 8:30 pm.  We had a rather interesting trip home.  When we were arriving in Dallas from Baltimore we had to stay in the air because of the bad weather.  So we circled Dallas for a good 45 minutes before landing.  After we got off that plane and went to get on our next flight from Dallas to Little Rock we found out that flight was cancelled.  The guy also said that all the other flights were booked up and the next available flight was this morning at 7:00 am.  Well, we got on stand-by for another flight at 6:50 pm that night and luckily got a seat.  I was so happy that we got a seat because I didn’t want to wait around Dallas that night.  Awaiting me at the Little Rock Airport were my Dad, both of my brothers and their wives, and my little nephew Dayton.  It was good to see them and Dayton was especially excited.  He was making sure I was ok after riding that airplane.  Overall it is good to be home.  I look forward to continuing the therapy that I learned in Baltimore.  I have a lot of things to keep me busy and a lot to build on.  I am so excited about the days to come.  Thanks for all of your support!  I will continue to keep you up to date on my progression in the days to come.

My therapy at KKI finally came to an end.  It was somewhat sad to say goodbye to so many new friends.  My last day started out with Spencer taking a few photographs of me doing different exercises.  He took these photos to make a booklet for me to take home of me doing different exercises.  After doing this we then went over and got hooked up on the FES Bike.  I rode the FES Bike for an hour.  Today was a strength day so I perspired quite a bit.  After riding I then went over to the mat and put some E-Swiss Stem on my calf muscles.  The E-Swiss Stem is a little different than the regular E-Stem machine as it performs a different contraction.  We did this for several minutes.  After this Spencer then hooked me up in the harness so I could get on the treadmill one last time.  The treadmill went very well again.  Spencer and Scott moved my legs as I concentrated on walking.  The treadmill is one of my favorite things to do.  It seemed like my legs responded well.  This was the last thing that we did for the day.  After therapy we went out to eat with some awesome people named Mike and his Mom, Candace.  Mike is 17 and lives right outside of Los Angeles.  He is a really cool guy and has worked really hard to get a lot of function back.  He is also a sports fan and a big Texas Longhorn fan.  I had to give him a little grief about that.  I also met some really neat people at our hotel.  I met a girl named Amy and her parents and they are very nice.  Amy had a spinal cord injury and is in Baltimore meeting with Doctors and also toured KKI.  Her injury is lower than mine and I expect her to get a lot back.  I am glad I got to meet these people.  Later we then went to Camden Yards to watch the Yankees play against the Orioles.  We sat in the outfield and right next to the Yankee bullpen.  It was neat because I was 2 feet away from the bullpen.  Those guys throw really hard and everything they throw moves so much.  They played two games and the Yankees won the first, but the Orioles won the second.  The game was sold out and I have never seen an atmosphere like that.  I’ve been to Arkansas Football games when they played USC or LSU and also some other MLB games, but nothing compared to last night.  The passion they have is unreal.  We are going to another game tonight and I am getting to see Roger Clemens pitch.  This is pretty neat because I got to see him pitch when I was five when he played for the Red Sox.  Now 16 years later I get to see him again.  I am very excited about tonight.  After the game I met up with a couple of friends to hang out and say goodbye.  There were several therapists there such as Scott and Spencer and also some really cool patients.  I met one girl from Pensacola, FL who played softball at the University of Troy.  Her name was Tara and she was very cool.  She was a quadraplegic, but you couldn’t tell with everything she has gotten back.  She has really worked hard and it shows.  It’s neat to meet people that are going through things similar to you.  I hope to stay in touch with her and wish her the best.

My therapy experience at KKI was more than I could ask for.  This place was incredible and full of a lot of hope.  There are so many heroes at this place.  To see the patients work hard at a common goal gave me that extra motivation.  I plan on going home and building on this experience and taking my journey to that next level.  I will miss all the friends that I have met in this two week period.  I am very thankful for all of the comments, thoughts, and prayers.  I feel very blessed to have such great friends, family, and community.  This would not be possible without your help and support.  I love you guys so much.  I will continue to keep you up to date with my progression.  Thanks for everything and God Bless!!!

Matt C

Wow!  That is about all I can say about today.  This was an incredible day and one that I will remember the rest of my life.  I started out my day by doing therapy.  We started out on the FES Bike.  Today was a speed/stamina day on the bike.  My legs continue to respond really well to the stimulation.  After riding the bike for an hour I then put on the braces.  Spencer wanted to work more on standing and doing a walking motion in braces.  So we went over to the parallel bars where we worked on walking back and forth.  Spencer was on the ground giving my lower half that extra push.  We did this for about thirty minutes.  This is very tiring and takes a lot of both the patient and the therapist.  Spencer and I both sucked it up.  After this exercise we then went to the mat where I got harnessed up preparing for the Gait Trainer (Tread Mill).  This was the most encouraging exercise of the day.  The Gait Trainer requires a lot of involvement by the therapist because it takes the help of three therapists to work with one patient.  After walking for about three minutes my legs really weren’t wanting to work with me.  So we took a break for a second to regroup.  During this time I told myself that I was really going to concentrate, focus, and even strain if necessary to get my legs working.  Well they started moving my legs with the treadmill and I started really focusing on bringing my knee towards my chin.  As soon as I did that, Mike (The other therapist helping Spencer) said, “Did you try to do that?”  I said, “Do What?”  He said, “Your heel is picking up off the ground and really driving out.”  I then knew this was good news.  To focus and have something happen like that was awesome.  It might not be a whole lot, but it means the world to me.  I continued doing this for another 8 minutes.  Both Spencer and Mike gave me high praise saying that I did awesome.  Spencer even said that I continue to amaze him… haha!  This was very exciting and wrapped up the day of therapy.

After therapy my Mom and I hopped on a train and went to Washington D.C.  We had a meeting with Congressman Mike Ross.  We finally arrived at the Capitol, which is absolutely incredible.  Congressman Ross continues to show what a great guy he is.  I don’t know many men in politics that are as compassionate, caring, and thoughtful as Congressman Ross.  This was the first time he has seen me since I got my Torso Brace off.  He said that I looked great and that I was an inspiration to him.  We got to talk a little politics and catch up a bit.  He also set up a personal tour of the Capitol, which was amazing.  I am very thankful to have a friend like Mike Ross in my life.  After leaving Congressman Ross’ office, we then went down a floor to see if another Congressman just happened to be in his office. This office belonged to Congressman Jim Langevin (http://www.house.gov/langevin/about.html). My mom had contacted his office about meeting him when we came to see Congressman Ross.  Congressman Langevin is from Rhode Island and had a Spinal Cord Injury at age 16.  He didn’t let his injury get him down and went on to school at Harvard and later became the nation’s youngest Secretary of State.  Congressman Langevin has an incredible story.  Anyway we went to his office and he was currently on the floor voting.  His assistant said that he should be back around 5:30 and asked us to wait if we could.  My Mom and I decided to wait and it was worth the wait.  This man was such an inspiration to me.  I heard a lot of stories about him before meeting him and he far exceeded them all.  It gave me so much hope to see a guy just like me, who overcame a tragedy and defeated all odds.  We had a lot of things in common.  I told him that my goal was to go to Law School and maybe dabble into politics one day.  I told him that I believe politics would give me the opportunity to help others and make a difference in this world.  One of the things that really stood out to me in our conversation was that during both of our injuries, the one thing that we both said carried us through was FAITH!  I am so happy that I made a new friend in Congressman Langevin and I look forward to staying in touch with him.  He is a true hero in my eyes!   

Overall, of all my days since my injury this was one of the best.  I feel very blessed that the Lord is using my life to show others miracles are real.  I am very thankful for all of the support from you guys.  I feel like the luckiest guy in the world to have all these people pulling for me during a time which can be difficult.  Tomorrow is my last day of therapy here at Kennedy Krieger.  It will be sad to say goodbye to so many new friends.  Thanks for all of your thoughts, prayers, and comments.  I also have one request… There are some amazing people here at KKI and in this world who are going through something similiar to me.  Please don’t forget about these people as well.  They are true heroes and please keep them in your prayers! Thanks again for everything!

Matt C

Today was an awesome day in Baltimore.  I started out my day bright and early by going to therapy at Kennedy Krieger Institute.  I didn’t want to get out of bed this morning after the long night before.  I arrived at KKI and started my day by riding the FES Bike.  Spencer has put me on a routine where I do strength riding three days a week and stamina riding the other two.  The strength riding is very tough because it makes me use max effort.  After riding the bike I got to try something new today.  I got on the Gait Trainer.  The Gait trainer consists of me walking on a treadmill with the assistance from other therapists.  I am also harnessed and lifted off the ground.  Spencer was kind of worried about this because he wasn’t sure how my legs were going to react.  I have a lot of tone (Muscle Spasms) in my legs which can make it difficult to perform a walking motion.  Well we finally we got started with the help of Scott and Kathryn.  The walking motion went completely different than what Spencer expected.  He said my legs were really trying to walk and reacting amazingly.  He was very surprised.  We started out going fairly slow, but increased the speed quite a bit.  This was very uplifting!  After this we then went to the mat and did some exercises.  We started out first with me on my hands and knees and did several hip flexor exercises.  This was not as difficult as it was tiring.  We did three sets of these.  After this we sat on the mat and worked on some balance.  I sat on a Roto Disc, which challenges my balance.  To top it off I sat Indian Style.  While sitting, Scott played catch with me using a medicine ball, while Spencer spotted me.  I believe I did very good at this.  We did some more exercises like this before calling it a day.  I truly feel my core has gotten a lot stronger during my stay at KKI.  This really helps my balance.  After therapy my Mom and I ate at Ray Lewis’s Full Moon Bar-B-Que.  Ray Lewis is a football player for the Baltimore Ravens and the Bar-B-Que was awesome.  I believe I had barbeque sauce from ear to ear after eating that sandwich.  Later tonight my Mom and I went to the Inner Harbor to do a little shopping.  We also ate at the ESPN Zone, which was very cool.  It had all kinds of baseball games on different televisions while we were eating.  I really wanted to camp out there.  While we were walking back to our car we got to catch some music.  In front of the World Trade Center were Seven guys wearing all white with a bucket in front of them singing their hearts out.  They gathered a fairly large crowd.  They were a “DUOP Group” and called “The Paul Harvey Band”.  They were pretty cool.  The played a lot of Temptations and other Motown favorites.  I really enjoyed it.  Tomorrow my mom and I are going to Washington D.C. after therapy.  We are going to meet with Congressman Mike Ross.  We are going to take the Amtrak train there.  I am excited about this trip and meeting with Congressman Ross.  I also talked to an old friend today and lined up a speaking engagement.  Mr. Randy Rankin, my former Represenative, called and asked if I would speak to the Little Rock Central Football Team.  His son is a player for the Tigers.  I am excited about speaking to these guys, as I feel like I have a lot of advice to share.  I will continue to keep you up to date on my progress.  Thanks for all of your thoughts and prayers!!!

Matt C

Today was a rather long but good day.  My day started out early this morning as I went to therapy.  I started out my day of therapy by riding the FES bike.  I rode the bike for an hour which went very well.  After riding the bike Spencer placed some E-Stim on my legs while I was on the mat.  After the E-Stim I then put the braces on my legs.  After putting the braces on we went to the parallel bars where I worked on standing.  After standing for awhile I then did something new.  Instead of just standing I worked on hopping.  I would use my arms and momentum to work on hopping.  I would hop back and forth down the parallel bars.  After doing this for awhile at the parallel bars I then moved to the hallway.  While in the hallway Spencer brought a walker for me to use.  At first it was a little difficult, but after a bit it got easier.  Spencer checked the distance that I would travel, which equaled out to 24 ft.  My second trial I hopped 48 feet before stopping.  My last trial I decided to let it all hang out.  I told Spencer I was going to hop 48 feet (which was two red blocks in the hallway).  By the time I reached the 2nd block I decided to push myself further and hopped about another 24 feet.  I guess the athlete came out in me towards the end of my therapy session.  I believe pushing myself to my limits can only help me.  I truly feel like I took another step forward today in my journey.  I also feel very blessed to have a great therapist and friend as I have in Spencer.  This guy is pretty awesome.  He is going the extra mile to help me reach my goals.  Tonight I went to an Oriole baseball game.  I had a great time at the ballgame.  I was there with other therapists and patients.  I met some pretty cool patients who were a lot of fun.  These patients have gone through some terrible things in their lives and they didn’t let it get them down.  These people are true heroes in my eyes.  I will continue rehab in the morning.  I look forward to another day of therapy.  I will continue to keep you informed on my progress.  Thanks for all of your prayers, support, and comments!

Matt C

Today was was another great day of therapy.  It was good to get back to business after a great weekend.  I started out my day of therapy riding the FES Bike.  This bike is unbelievable.  I can really see some positive effects from riding it everyday.  After riding the bike I went over to the mat and worked on some posture.  I would sit on the edge of the mat with my legs hanging off.  While sitting I would try to sit up as straight as possible keeping my vertebrae straight.  This is very difficult even for the average person.  While sitting Spencer placed some E-Stim on my lower back to help strengthen the muscles.  I did this for about thirty minutes.  After sitting I then laid on my side on the mat.  While I was lying on my side, Spencer placed some E-Stim on my hip flexors and my glutes.  When your hip flexors contract it makes your leg pull up towards you and when your glutes contract it makes your leg push out.  Well he set it up where it was alternating so when one would contract I would concentrate on moving that leg and vice versa for the other.  We did one leg at a time and I thought this was pretty cool.  After doing this for awhile I then stood up in a different standing frame (Grandstand).  This machine is similar to my standing frame, but it has wheels.  While standing, however, I wheeled around the excersice facility and into the hall way.  One therapist even hopped on the back and I gave her a ride. 

Today was also a very uplifting day.  I got to meet a very inspirational guy. His name is Pat Rummerfield  (http://www.rummerfield.com/).  He experienced a spinal cord injury in 1974.  He is the world’s first fully-recovered spinal cord injury quadriplegic.  He was very nice.  He really believes in the E-Stim.  If I didn’t know who he was I would have a tough time noticing that he ever had a spinal cord injury.  Overall today was another great day full of a lot of hope.  Tomorrow night I will be attending an Oriole baseball game where they are having a big ceremony for Cal Ripken Jr. (Cal Ripken Jr. is getting inducted to the Hall of Fame on Sunday. He holds the record for most consecutive games played in Major League Baseball).  I am very excited about this.  I will keep you up to date on what tomorrow holds.  Thanks for all of your support!!!

Matt C