Today was my last day of therapy at Kennedy Krieger Institute.  It was a very busy session.  It was also sad to say goodbye to all of the great people.  I am going to miss these people so much.  It kind of felt like I was saying goodbye to family. 

My last session started off with me on the FES Bike.  The bike ride went very well as my legs continued to respond well to the stimulation.  We rode the bike for awhile and then went over to the mat.  At the mat, Claire did a few things with my legs.  She had to perform some tasks, such as measuring how much degrees my hip would rotate.  She did several types of tasks like this one.  After this we then put on the braces and went to the parallel bars.  While we were at the parallel bars we did a number of things.  We worked on bringing my leg out to the side.  We also worked on pulling my leg inwards.  We then worked on some walking.  The steps are continuing to go great.  I feel like everyday I am making progress with my steps.  We then went and walked down the hall with the walker.  Claire was telling me that one of my goals when I started three weeks ago was to walk 20 feet with the walker… I got a kick out of this because we are walking like 300 feet a day.  Walking down the hall went very well.  It is so encouraging to cover ground and make progress by taking steps.  After this we then went over my home exercise program that she printed out for me.  We went over all of the exercises and got some last minute questions in.  This then wrapped up our last day of therapy.  It was sad to say all of my goodbyes to all of the wonderful people at KKI and to the awesome patients I met there.

This visit to Kennedy Krieger is one that I will remember for the rest of my life.  From the relationships to the progression, I truly feel like I am leaving both a better person and a better patient.  This program continues to keep me motivated to be the best that I can be.  I want to send out a big thank you to my therapist Claire.  Claire did everything that she could do to help me get as much out of this, as possible.  She seemed to keep me motivated to do my best when I needed that extra pick-me-up.  She also gave 110% in her efforts to help get me back on my feet…  I am very thankful that I had her as my therapist and now as my new friend.  I am also thankful for all of the other therapists at Kennedy Krieger. They are the best.

I have now posted the new KKI Therapy (Week 3) video.  Click on the link to check it out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WUwwFGe97FI .  As I return home I will continue my journey to getting back on my feet.  I am also looking forward to seeing all of my family and friends again.  I want to thank all of you for your thoughts, prayers, and support during these last three weeks.  You guys are my rock and foundation.  You guys totally keep me going.  I truly believe that without you guys, this would not be possible.  I feel like the luckiest guy in the world to have a fanbase like the one that I have.  Thanks again for all of your support!  God Bless!

Matt C      

Today we continued to push forward by taking the therapy to another level.  The lights were again shining as The Washington Post was back to do the filming part of my exercises.  Also Mr. Pat Rummerfield was back here and it was great to see him again.

My morning session started off with me on the FES Bike.  The FES Bike was back to normal this morning.  I don’t know what Claire did, but in some sort of fashion, she resolved the problem.  The bike ride went very good and my legs responded well to the stimulation.  It was good to get the bike ride back to normal.  After riding the bike we then went over to the mat to do some stretching.  Claire stretched my legs out pretty good and then put on the braces.  With the braces on, we then went over to the parallel bars to work on taking steps.  The lady from The Washington Post just showed up as we got on the parallel bars.  It took a few minutes for my legs to warm up, but after they did we took some great steps.  Claire said that these were the best that we have taken so far.  With the video camera on me, I knew I had to step up my game today.  Mr. Pat Rummerfield couldn’t believe the steps that I was taking.  He just saw me last week and I wasn’t taking near the quality of steps that I am taking now.  He seemed to be very impressed with my progression.  We then got behind the walker to walk down the hall.  This is my favorite part of therapy.  When I first start it looks like the end of the hallway is so far away.  In my eyes, it almost looks as if this hallway is a huge giant in a sort of way.  The best part though is with each and every step, I am slowly knocking that giant down… And at the end, the giant is on his back!  We walked all the way down the hallway fairly quickly.  I joked with Claire and asked her if she wanted me to run back?  She laughed saying, “Maybe next week with the way we are going…”  Instead of sprinting back we had a nice walk.  Towards the end I started to feel the burn, but continued to push forward.  As I crossed the finish line I then gave Mr. Pat, Claire, Kim, and Mrs. Kathy all big high fives…  It is a great feeling to accomplish something like this!  After walking 299 feet yesterday, Claire then measured that I walked 304 feet today…  Even though I counted 305 feet!  My walking has drastically improved since just the other day.  After this we then went and got hooked up on the Gait Trainer.  We went to the treadmill to work on walking.  This also went really good.  Scott helped Claire guide my legs.  This is a lot of work on the therapists, but they are always up to the challenge.  This then wrapped up my day of therapy.  Today was by far my best day of therapy.  

My new friend, who is also the PR Rep for KKI, had me all lined out for the filming.  Her name is Elise and she is so nice.  I am very happy that I got to meet her.  Also the lady from The Washington Post was very nice and got some really good footage.  As I stated earlier, she filmed me doing a lot of my exercises.  After therapy she then went through a question/answer type interview that lasted for awhile.  I was very talkative and Elise said that I gave some really good answers…  You guys will have to check it out when it becomes available.  I think it is going to be really good!

Tomorrow is my last day of therapy.  This is going to be really sad because I am going to miss all of the people of Kennedy Krieger.  This place is kind of like a second home to me.  We have accomplished some major things that aren’t usually accomplished in just three weeks of therapy.  I am very thankful for all the work that Claire and the other therapists of Kennedy Krieger have put into the fight for me to walk again.  Those people have a special place in my heart and are like family to me.  I hope one day I can help give back for all of the dedication that they put into this.  I will continue to keep you up to date tomorrow.  I will also have the Week 3 therapy video posted.  Thanks for all of the thoughts, prayers, and support.  God Bless!

Matt C        

VICTORY!!!  That was the word that came out of my mouth in the hallway at Kennedy Krieger today.  We will get to that in a minute.  We had a very good day of therapy and continued to build upon the progression that I have made.  Today was very encouraging and really continued to keep me motivated.

My day started off again on the FES Bike.  The bike again did not go very good.  I think something has happened with my settings and we are trying to get this figured out.  I have put Claire in charge of this problem and I am sure she will get me some results soon or else…  After getting off of the bike we then put on the braces.  We first went to the parallel bars to work on taking steps.  We have noticed that when I first start to take steps my legs are very tight.  After awhile, however, my legs start to loosen’ up and the steps are much more fluid.  I am continuing to take some great steps without the help of Claire.  Claire will help hold my hips in place to try to keep my midline intact.  These steps went really good and are a world of difference from when we first started.  After this I then got behind the walker to take steps down the hall.  My goal was to go down the hall and back.  Yesterday, I just walked down the hall.  I was very determined to achieve this goal of going down and back.  The steps went really well on the way down.  The reciprocal motion of left, right, left, right, etc. ran through my head.  We finally made it to the end of the hallway.  It took a lot less time to get down there today compared to yesterday.  The walk back started fairly well.  Then I started to feel the burn…  The doubts kept creeping in my head telling me to stop…  However, I put them all aside and continued to press on.  Then breathing very hard, dripping with perspiration, and staggering to the finish line… I let out a chant of VICTORY, as if I was a character in the movie 300.  This walk was then measured and I covered a total of 299 feet.  I think we miscounted because I am pretty sure I counted 300 feet…!  I was very happy that I achieved my goal that was set before me today.  I really enjoy setting goals like this that may seem impossible… But again Nothing Is Impossible!  I could tell Claire was very happy with this and extremely excited about our progression.  She has really been a big part of all the progression that is being made.  She tends to go beyond the boundaries to help transform the impossible into the possible.  I am very blessed to have her as my therapist… She is the best of the best!  After this encouraging walk, we then went over to the mat to work on some electrical stimulation.  We stimulated my abductors and they really responded well.  When we stimulated the abductors my legs pushed outwards.  This was pretty neat!  We then wrapped up our day of therapy with some pizza at KKI.  This was another awesome day of therapy and I am very happy with our work ethic and our progression.

Tomorrow we will continue therapy with the addition of some special guests.  The Washington Post will be here again to do the video part of the article.  They will be filming me doing a lot of different exercises.  I am very excited about them coming and can’t wait to show off some of the new therapy that we are doing.  I will continue to keep you guys informed on my therapy and progression.  Thanks for all of the thoughts and prayers.  God Bless!

Matt C   

Wow is all I can say after today’s therapy session.  We again took today’s session to another level.  Today was my toughest day of therapy. We worked really hard.  Everyday it seems that things are looking up and I am truly getting closer to my goals. 

I started off my therapy this morning by riding the FES Bike.  The bike has usually gone very well, but that was not the case today.  We think there was some malfunction with the bike because it wasn’t working with my legs like it normally does.  Anyway we hope to resolve that problem tomorrow.  After getting off of the bike we then put on the braces and went right to work.  We went over to the parallel bars to work on walking in the braces.  At first my legs were really tight and weren’t cooperating with my mind.  However, after a few steps they started to calm down.  We then took some very nice steps at the parallel bars.  I think Claire was happy with the steps and how far we have come.  I also received some great help and advice from two other therapists named Mike and Chris.  They really had some good ideas that helped me with my steps.  After this, Claire wanted me to try to take some steps in the walker.  Claire was thinking about going towards the end of the hall, which was about 25 feet away.  I then asked if she minded if we went the other way, which was over 100 feet long.  Well, as usual, she was up to the task.  Also both Chris and Mike were helping us out.  Well we took a couple of steps and it went very well.  Needless to say, 20 feet turned into 40 feet and 40 feet turned into 80 feet… And before you knew it, we walked all the way to the end of the hallway, which was around 150 feet long.  I was dead tired after reaching the end, but it felt like I just crossed the finish line of one of the biggest races of my life.  This was an awesome feeling because all of the hard work paid off.  This is what I love about both my work ethic and the work ethic of Claire…  We aren’t settling for anything less than my absolute best!  After this we then went over to the standing frame.  While standing on the standing frame we stimmed my quadriceps and my glutes.  This went fairly well and seemed to work great.  After this we then called it a day.

Today was a remarkable day in my journey to recovery.  I am very thankful for Claire, Mike, and Chris.  They helped me all along the way and were a very big part of this.  They had a lot of great tips and inspirational words.  I also want to thank all of you reading this…  You guys are my rock and are with me every step of the way.  Thanks for all of the thoughts, prayers, and support!  I will continue to keep you in the know tomorrow.  Thanks again and God Bless!

Matt C     

After a long weekend full of watching the swimming championships and doing a lot of school work, it was now back to work.  I couldn’t wait to get back to work after all of the progress I have made in the past two weeks.  I have a good feeling that this week will be just like the last two, where we continue to make strides towards my goals.

My therapy started off this morning with me on the FES Bike.  The bike continues to go very good.  My legs are responding very well to the stimulation.  This past two weeks have been some of my best days on the bike that I have had since riding it.  After riding the bike, Claire and I then went over to the parallel bars to work on walking in the braces.  After getting the braces on we then tried something new today.  Instead of taking a step forward we worked on bringing my leg outwards to my side.  I haven’t been able to do this in the past mainly because of the tone in my adductors.  Today, however, we were successful at doing this.  This was very encouraging to me.  After doing this for awhile, we then worked on taking steps.  The steps are continuing to go really well.  I am continuing to take the steps all by myself.  I feel like with every step that I take, I am getting better and better.  After doing this for awhile we then went over to the mat to get hooked up on the Gait Trainer.  After getting hooked up, we then went into the hall to work on walking in the Gait Trainer.  My legs are continuing to push forward and cover ground.  We also did some electrical stimulation to my hip flexors as I walked.  This worked very well and I walked down the hall a couple of times.  After this we then went to the mat to try the Neuro Move on my glutes.  This is the first time I ever used my glutes on the bio-feedback device.  This was pretty difficult, but I started to get it down after awhile.  Claire has been also teaching me specific details about my therapy, so I will remember all of it when I go home.  Claire also made me really sweat today…  She worked me out hard and basically whooped me.  I was exhausted after our session.  Tonight my mom and I went out to eat with a friend that I met last time at KKI named Mike.  He is a very cool young man from California.  Mike and his mom, Candace, joined us for a bite to eat.  It was great to see them again! 

Today was another great day of therapy.  I cannot believe that I am down to my last week of therapy.  Time has flown by, as it seems we just started.  I am very excited about my progression so far.  I am also extremely happy about the work ethic Claire and I have.  She is really pushing me to get my very best in everything we do.  I will continue to keep you up to date tomorrow on my therapy.  I want to thank you for all of the thoughts and kind words.  I am very blessed to have the great friends that I have.  Thanks again and God Bless!    

Matt C

Today was another great day at Kennedy Krieger Institute.  It was also filled with some emotion.  Today was my little friend Sarah’s last day.  She has worked so hard and I am so proud of her.  I am going to miss her but I know she will continue to do great… 

My therapy started off with me on the FES Bike.  I rode it for awhile and my legs continue to respond well to the stimulation.  Claire wasn’t here so I had therapy with Adwoa today.  After riding the bike we then went over to the mat.  We were going to try something different today.  We were going to use a piece of equipment called The Fitter.  This thing was pretty challenging.  It was a seat on the board that rolled back and forth.  I first sat on it and worked on rolling back and forth.  This really worked my core and abdomen muscles.  After doing this exercise, we then took it a step further.  I then scooted to the end of the mat and hung my upper half off, while my lower half stayed on the mat.  I then put my arms on The Fitter, which is on the floor, and went back and forth exercising my core.  This was pretty tough and gave me a great workout.  After doing this we then sat on a huge ball and did more core exercises.  I really got a good workout on my core during the first half of my session.  After this we then put on the braces and went to the parallel bars.  At the parallel bars we continued to work on taking steps.  I continued to build upon yesterday and take steps without the help of my therapist.  This was very encouraging to me.  I am starting to get the method down on how to walk in braces.  While at the braces Sarah snuck over to come see me.  She was calling my name and came over and did the walking exercises with me.  She is such a champion!  After this we then went over to the Gait Trainer.  We then got hooked up in the Gait Trainer and walked on the treadmill.  This also went very well.  It seems like I am making so much progress in my therapy.  We walked on the treadmill for a little over 15 minutes.  After unhooking from the Gait Trainer we then wrapped up our session by working my hip flexors with the Neuro Move.  The Neuro Move is the bio-feedback device that records how much work my muscles are doing.  My muscles were really doing a great job.  I was meeting my desire goal and the machine was providing positive feedback.  This then wrapped up my therapy session. 

After therapy I then had a going away surprise for my little friend Sarah.  I got her some new little Dora Babies.  When she looked at them her eyes brightened up and she was so happy.  It was great to see all the joy that she expressed.  I am going to miss having her around, but I know she will continue to do great.  She has so much life and is full of potential.  Please keep her in your prayers as she furthers her therapy.

I also posted my Week 2 therapy video.  To view it, click on the following link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cpbvjHFZsTk .  I have provided a combination of therapy, people, and hope that Kennedy Krieger Institute provides.  I hope all of you enjoy!!! 

My weekend is going to be pretty busy.  I am going to the University of Maryland tomorrow to watch the US Open Paraylmpic Swimming Championships.  It is a qualifying event for the Beijing Paralympics.  I have a friend from Project Walk that is going to be swimming tomorrow.  His name is Dave Denniston and their is more information about him in my Heroes page.  I will continue to keep you up to date on my progress in the coming days.  Thanks for all of your thoughts and prayers.  God Bless!

Matt C