This past year was the second year since my spinal cord injury. It was also a very busy year as we traveled to many different places. It was filled with a lot of hope, dreams and achievements. I want to look back and discuss my journey during this past year. My year began with a lot of uncertainty about recovering from a spinal cord injury. Could this really happen? I remember thinking that I hear about people recovering from this type of injury and about all the progression that they have made, but is it real? All of the doctors that I have talked to have said in this time period we live in, recovering from a spinal cord injury is not a likely possibility. It just doesn’t happen… It is impossible!
My year started off with me doing very little therapy and rehab. My day consisted of standing in a standing frame for an hour daily and riding a passive bicycle for an hour each day. That was basically all that I was doing during this time frame. However, each Wednesday I would get some really good therapy in. I would travel to Conway to meet with Dr. Twala Maresh. Mrs. Twala would really push me and helped me garner upper body strength where I could be as independent as possible. We achieved so much during our therapy sessions. I was able to transfer into my truck from my wheelchair and also into my wheelchair from the floor. Mrs. Twala was very considerate to take time out of her busy day and help improve my lifestyle. I am very thankful for Mrs. Twala.
I was still not satisfied with the lack of therapy that I was receiving. I felt like my upper body strength was in top tier shape, but I wasn’t getting any lower body therapy in. This was somewhat frustrating because I knew I couldn’t walk with just my upper body. After exploring several opportunities, my family and I decided that the best option for me at this time was to travel to Carlsbad, California to attend a spinal cord therapy center called Project Walk. Attending Project Walk would be very expensive because the insurance company would not cover the cost. In having the greatest group of friends and community in the world, this was not a problem. They raised money by grilling meat and accepting donations. They also put together a wonderful send-off concert at our local church, which was at full capacity and standing room only. I am very thankful for both my friends and community… They are an amazing group of people. Before leaving for Carlsbad I was also sent off by another surprise party by the UAM MBSF. They hoaxed me into thinking I was speaking at UAM only to surprise me with a going away party. They are also a great group of people and I am very thankful for them.
Arriving in California, I was not sure about what I was getting into. I went into this not knowing anything and with an open mind. All that changed after my first day… I was introduced to my trainer, Jerry Rainey. The first day we had an evaluation where he determined that I did have some function in my adductors. He also felt some muscles firing in different places in my lower half. I remember Jerry saying that “Today is going to be an easy day because of the evaluation. We will really get going tomorrow.” Well that ‘easy day’ was the toughest and most therapy that I have done since my injury. I was also introduced to the FES bike while I was here. I rode it one time and I knew instantly that I had to have one of these. The days got tougher and tougher as we worked really hard for two weeks. I was giving my lower half and abdominal region the workout of its life. This was also the first time that I got to mingle with other spinal cord injury patients around the same age as me. I really met some neat people and true heroes. Leaving Project Walk, I knew for sure that I would walk again.
This summer was a great experience. It was great to hang out among all of my friends and family. This summer was also the first time that I traveled away from home without my parents. My brother Chris, my two friends, Stephen and Kent and I all traveled to the SEC Baseball Tournament in Hoover, Alabama. We had a great time and got to see some really good baseball. It was great to be out of the house and around some of my best friends. Also this summer I got my FES Bike in and started to ride it. An awesome therapist from Beyond Therapy named Candy came in to set up the bike and tell me all about it. I knew that I was very lucky to have this bike because it was the best bike for a spinal cord injury patient.
This summer I was planning on another therapy trip. This time I was going to attend Kennedy Krieger Institute in Baltimore, Maryland. I didn’t know much about Kennedy Krieger Institute as my mom did all of the research. Arriving in Baltimore, I didn’t know anything about Kennedy Krieger at all and wasn’t sure if it was going to be all that good. However, that changed shortly as we got to work. I had an awesome therapist named Spencer and he really introduced me to this new type of therapy. This new therapy was called ’Activity Based Restorative Therapy’. This was somewhat the same as Project Walk except for the fact that Kennedy Krieger really incorporated electrical stimulation into their patient’s daily session. With Spencer, we achieved a lot and I stood up in braces for the first time. I couldn’t take steps, but I could hop. I looked like a Kangaroo at the parallel bars. I also had an appointment with Dr. Brandys for a spinal cord evaluation. She classified me as an ASIA A Complete Spinal Cord Injury during our appointment. I knew that would change with all of the hard work when I went home because of talking with a man named Pat Rummerfield. Pat is the first fully recovered quadraplegic doing this therapy. He told me to keep pushing on and that with this therapy I will be back on my feet one day. This was very uplifiting and gave me motivation to keep pushing on. I also got to take in several activities in Baltimore such as sailing, attending baseball games with other patients and therapists, and ’wheelchair mobility’. This ‘wheelchair mobility’ deal was something that my mom and I still disagree about. My mom was supposed to pick me up from the baseball game, but she got turned around and was somehow on the freeway to New York. Me being the adventurer that I am thought no big deal, “I’ll just wheel back to the hotel.” The hotel was about a mile away so I got to pushing down the sidewalks. Well I found out that the Baltimore sidewalks aren’t quite as acessible as one would have thought. However, I managed and wheeled over curbs, huge cracks, and big dropoffs. As I arrived at the hotel I was dripping with sweat and felt really good about myself because my wheelchair mobility was awesome. My mom disagreed and was upset that I didn’t wait for her… In the end we still today get a big laugh about this. Also while I was in Baltimore I traveled to Washington D.C. to visit my Congressman Mike Ross. Congressman Ross has been very supportive during this time of my life. I also met another Congressman in Washington D.C. His name is Congressman James Langevin. Congressman Langevin also has a spinal cord injury and was very influential as we talked. He motivated me to keep pushing forward and told me that I can do anything that I want to as long as I put forth the effort. This thirty minutes that we spent together had a major impact on my life. I am extremely happy that I got to meet him and that I can now call him a friend.
During the fall months I continued to do the ’Activity Based Restorative Therapy’ at home. This consisted of me riding the FES Bike and doing other electrical stimulation exercises. I also incorporated the electrical stimulation with the total gym exercise that I learned at Project Walk. This allowed me to do squats with the electrical stimulation. This really went well and became one of my exercises. I also started school this fall. I took online classes and it was great to get going again. Also this fall I got my own personal braces. These braces looked really sharp and I was eager to learn how to use them. I then started therapy with my good friend DeJuan Daniel. DeJuan and I worked on my core as I stood up in braces. We really got a lot accomplished as we strengthened my abdomen. He pushed me to another level and only accepted my absolute best. This also helped prepare me for my trip back to Kennedy Krieger Institute.
I returned to Kennedy Krieger Institute in late November. This time I was going to stay in Baltimore for three weeks. Arriving in Baltimore I couldn’t wait to build upon all of the work I did all fall. I rode my FES Bike all fall and really worked hard. My therapists this time was an awesome person named Claire Green. Claire really pushed me and built upon all the work I did this fall. She had so many great ideas and got the very best out of me. I am very thankful that she was my therapist and for the dedication she put in. I also had another spinal cord evaluation with Dr. Sadowsky. This time I was classified as an ASIA C Incomplete Spinal Cord Injury. This was amazing because three months prior I was labeled as an ASIA A Complete injury. Asia C Incomplete meant that I have made significant strides in my therapy and that this therapy was working. This was an awesome feeling and I gave Dr. Sadowsky a big hug. I also then worked on taking steps in my braces. A few jerky steps led to a few more and so on. I then got to where I could walk down the hall and back with a walker, which was around 300 feet. Claire was very impressed because my goal was to walk 20 feet with the walker. I was also featured along with another patient and Pat Rummerfield in an article about Acitivity Based Restorative Therapy in the Washington Post. This was very cool and I can’t wait for it to be published. This second visit to Kennedy Krieger Institute was a great experience as I created new relationships and progressed to another level. I am very thankful for all of the therapists and all of the other patients for their continued support and dedication.
After returning to Arkansas I was then interviewed for another article about the FES Bike. Neurotech Network Newsletter interviewed me for a piece that they are doing with the FES Bike. A lady by the name of Jennifer French conducted the interview and was very nice. I am also eager to read about this article.
Overall this past year has been one that I will never forget. My life went to a whole new level this past year. To think that this time last year I wasn’t able to do the amount of things that I am able to do today is amazing. I know that none of this would be possible without God, my family, and all of my friends. I want to extend a special thank you to all of my therapists for putting in all the work and dedication to help me get back on my feet. Your time and effort is one of the greatest gifts that I have ever received. I also want to thank all of my community and friends all over the country. You guys are my rock and continue to keep me motivated to do my very best. Your support is amazing and greatly apreciated. Thanks again for all of the thoughts, prayers, and support! God Bless!!!
Matt C
I have recently been included into an awesome feature about the life of a spinal cord injury. A friend of mine named Pat Rummerfield was featured in the Washington Post about his recovery from a spinal cord injury. Pat was a quadraplegic who recovered from his injury and is now walking. It took a lot of hard work and dedication to get where he is today. The Washington Post wanted to portray his recovery through activity based therapy. This therapy program is the same program that I am currently involved in at Kennedy Krieger Institute. Well, a five page spread was written on Pat about how he recovered and what it took to recover. While I was in Baltimore, The Washington Post asked if they could take photos and videos of my therapy to put on there website and in the magazine. I was also asked to be interviewed about my recovery and the therapy at Kennedy Krieger Institute. This feature and video is now online to view. To view the video, click on the following link: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/video/2008/01/25/VI2008012502675.html. You can also read the article about Pat by clicking on the link below the media player. There will also be additional photos in The Washington Post newspaper tomorrow. The article will be located in an exerpt in the newspaper called ‘The Washington Post Magazine’.