Progress
BRIEF TIMELINE
August 1996: Near fatal car accident.
1997: Lived with parents, began breathing on my own.
1998: Lived independently with roommates. Began exercised-based rehabilitation.
1999: Began living on my own. Returned to volunteering with the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo.
2000: Founded Haley’s House. Began schooling at the University of Houston.
2002: Moved to College Station to attend Texas A&M University.
2002-2006: Became involved in my Texas A&M experience.
2005: Discovered California Center for SCI. Began fundraising plan.
September 2006: Began exercise-based rehab with trainer. Broke right femur and had emergency surgery.
January 2007: Made my first trip to Project Walk. Observed various rehabilitation methods I sought to incorporate into my own training.
June 2007: Broke my left femur.
August 2007: Received third degree burns on my hands from a heat lamp.
January-August 2008: Progressed tremendously with physical recovery. Began Every Step Kounts.
August 2008: Broke my tibia and fibula in a freak wheelchair accident.
February 2009: Received my service dog, Onyx.
DETAILED TIMELINE
August 1996: Near-fatal car accident. ER doctor did not
think I would survive long enough for my father to fly back from Africa
where he was working. I spent 2 weeks in the neuro ICU, 1 week in a
regular ICU, then almost 4 months in a SCI rehab hospital,
ventilator-dependent.
1997: Lived with parents, weaned
off of ventilator & breathing on my own, learning how to function
paralyzed (Feeding self, brushing own teeth, holding cups, using
telephone, putting on make-up, writing & typing with braces)
1998:
Lived independently from parents with roommates, relearning skills to
be more independent (Continued trying to write legibly, shave my legs,
open mail), enlisted different neighbors to come over 1 day a week each
to help me workout.
1999: Moved back to Houston, began
living on my own! Learned how to drive an accessible van, finally
gained enough strength & coordination to fix my own hair, retrieve
small things from the refrigerator, able to play a more active
volunteer role for Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo’s Carnival Ticket
Sales Committee. I continued working out at home when possible with the
help of neighbors.
2000: Founded Haley’s House. (Although a long-term dream that is still more in the dream phase, it will be similar to the Ronald McDonald House; but not limited to families of children that are in the hospital. Families of adult patients will be welcomed as well.) Knowing I had the life experience to make Haley’s House great, but lacked the business skills, I knew I had to go back to school. I did not have the finances to return to school. Fortunately, I got the opportunity to audit the program given by the University of Houston’s Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation! With that stellar foundation, they encouraged me to round out the knowledge they gave me to start & run a business with a formal 4-year degree.
Physical progress was really slow
& sporadic from ’00-’02 due to so many hours spent in school &
doing homework. Although I wasn’t able to go consistently, Omni
Physical Therapy, allowed me to train there at no charge whenever I
could make it.
2002: Moved to College Station
to attend Texas A&M University. I had dreamed of being a Proud
Fightin’ Texas Aggie for years. I’m still pinching myself that I have
accomplished half of my dream – becoming an Aggie! I can’t wait to
fulfill the other half -- walking across the stage when I graduate!!!
I also joined the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo’s Speakers’
Committee.
2002-2006: Although physical progress
came to a standstill once I started A&M, I immersed myself in my
studies & “the other education.” I was a counselor for T-Camp
& Howdy Camp, a Director for T-Camp, served on the SGA Development
Team & was a Muster Host. Attending Silver Taps, Muster, Midnight
Yell, Aggie Football, Baseball, Basketball & Volleyball, Maroon
& White games, Aggie Moms’ Boutiques & various other A&M
activities were the epitome of Aggie Life & the A&M - 12th Man
experience!!!
2005: In spite of living my dream of
being an Aggie, my equally important dream of walking again had been
put on the back burner. The reality was lack of finances to pay for
therapy was/is always the biggest obstacle in getting the much-needed
medical treatment. Even though I knew that, I felt something inside of
my soul was dying by not trying to pursue therapy more actively. I
redirected my focus toward reaching my dream.
Amazingly, near
the end of 2005 I found out about an exercise-based SCI rehab in
California that had been helping para- & quadriplegics gain
functional recovery with the goal of walking again for close to 10
years by using personal trainers instead of physical therapists. They
had a track record of helping many SCI clients walk again. Best of
all, I also found out about the National Transplant Assistance Fund,
which is a 501c3 that enables individuals suffering from SCI to raise
money to pay for SCI-related expenses that were not covered by
insurance or any other means. I started trying to figure out how to
raise money for therapy and a way to coordinate therapy locally
supplemented by trips to California.
September 2006:
I couldn’t have been more excited—I had raised enough money to start
training and found a local trainer to train with me. I could see my
dream of walking again starting to make a comeback!! During my third
workout with my new trainer, I broke my right femur while training due
to undiagnosed osteoporosis. I had to have emergency surgery because
my femoral artery was about to be severed. They had to place a metal
rod in my leg, and I was in the hospital for a month. It took seven
months for my femur to heal.
I was set back, but undaunted.
The day after I was released from the hospital, I resumed my road to
recovery by working out with my trainer. I was restricted to only
exercises that could be done sitting down, using my upper body. By
November I was able to ease into pool therapy and stand in the pool. I
was able to begin using my “healing” leg in limited exercises in
January.
January 2007: I made my first trip to
Project Walk. Although we were limited from fully participating due to
my leg, my trainer and I were able to shadow clients with similar
injuries. We were able to observe and ask questions on how, why and
when certain exercises were done. We left with a wealth of information
on how to approach our training while my leg was healing as well as how
to train when my leg was healed. We also learned what pieces of
equipment I had to have to start maximizing my training.
During
the seven months my right femur was healing, I saw great improvement in
my balance, upper body range of motion, strength & stamina. One
major milestone I reached was gaining the ability to sit up and not
fall over. By April, my trainer could also start lightly tapping me in
different directions, I could lean forward and backward several inches,
and I could raise my arms halfway above my head—all without falling
over. I could move my arms with more control. I was not as short of
breath as we worked out. **My chest started to rise and fall when I
would breathe!! For the previous 10+ years since my wreck, my breaths
were so shallow, my chest never moved when I breathed. To this day I
am still amazed at feeling my chest rise & fall when I breathe!!!
In April, I was fully released. I was able to workout with
my whole body!! My legs responded quickly and started moving slightly
from the hip flexors. During this time, I also started attempting to
cook from my chair; I loved to cook before my wreck. It was great to
start doing whatever I could in the kitchen!…Five weeks after I was
fully released, I broke my left femur while stretching.
June 2007:
I broke my left femur. Had another surgery to place a metal rod in
leg, as well as another month-long stay in the hospital. I also faced
another 7-month recovery period before I could work out with both of my
legs again. Again, I was setback, but determined to remain undaunted.
This recovery process seemed to be going just like the first… The day
after I was released from the hospital, I resumed my road to recovery
by working out with my trainer. I was restricted to only exercises
that could be done sitting down, using my upper body.
August 2007:
Setback #3 – I got 3rd degree burns on the back of both of my hands
from a heat lamp pointing on them at the acupuncturist. I was
blistered from the knuckles mid-hand all the way down to my wrists.
There was not any unblistered skin on the back of either hand. I had
open wounds for the next four months that required treatment at home as
well as from a wound care center. It took a year for my hands to
totally heal. Even after the wounds closed, they were extremely
sensitive to the slightest heat…. Which ruled out pool therapy for the
next year.
I was slightly discouraged because I was now
limited on what I could do with my lower and upper body. But it was
only slightly. Overall, I was thankful to be able to work with what I
had. I had become very good over my lifetime at adapting my exercise
routines to what my body would allow. So, I figured out what I could
work on and did.
January 2008– August 2008: In
January, my left femur had healed and I was released to work out with
both legs again!!!! My trainer and I went to a SCI center in San
Antonio. We learned all kinds of new exercise methods that would help
reactivate my nervous system. At that point my hip flexors in both
legs were firing & both quads were slightly firing (starting to
faintly contract voluntarily). There were many other muscles left in
my legs that needed to start firing, but it was a start! Also, the
trainers in San Antonio were VERY impressed with the upper body
stability, strength & range of motion I had for being a C-4, 5
quad. It was very nice to know all of the work I had been doing --
while only able to sit flat for the last year and a half -- was
noticeably paying off!!!
The next six months brought great
recovery progress. Some highlights include: I could raise my hands
all the way above my head without falling over. I then progressed to
raising my arms above my head with ankle weights around my wrists –
without falling. I was not unsteady sitting on the floor and rarely
fell over, even when the trainers would nudge me in different
directions. ALL of the muscles in my legs and feet started firing. My
legs were moving a tiny bit. I could ride my active/passive bike
forwards & backwards with very little assistance. I was able to
crawl with assistance moving my legs. I could move my hips forward,
backwards & side-to-side while holding myself steady on my hands
& knees. I could go from elbows & knees, to lying flat on my
stomach to back on my elbows & knees – all by myself!
**While
in San Antonio, they encouraged me to start a SCI recovery center in
College Station. They said, “You’re a business major, right? You need
help. Others need help. Bloom where you’re planted!!!” It totally
felt like the right thing to do. I have seen that exercise-based
recovery works. Every bit of progress I have made has brought greater
independence. I sincerely want to provide that same opportunity for
recovery to others. I went home and started Every Step Kounts. We are
still very much in the beginning phase—still trying to acquire
equipment and a facility. Lacking financial resources, it is growing
slowly; but it is still growing!!
August 2008: 4 days
before my birthday, I had a freak accident. A bolt under my wheelchair
that locks me in to drive got caught on a hinge at the top of my living
room ramp & I fell out of my chair and down 2 stairs. My leg hit
my metal ramp and I broke my left Tibia & Fibula. …Happy Birthday
to me.
I’m not gonna lie. The next few months were my lowest
in my recovery history. I was struggling with discouragement and
fighting hard not to lose hope. Because I knew once you lose hope,
you’ve got nothing!
My doctor & I decided not to operate. We
weren’t sure if the risks outweighed the rewards. Without a rod for
stabilization, the healing process took nine and a half months and was
EXCRUCIATINGLY painful!!! The brace immediately rubbed a pressure sore
on the back of my heel & I was back at the wound care center for
the next 4 months.
I ran out of finances to train. When I
had the funds, I was in transition between trainers. I started working
with new trainers that wanted to start building Every Step Kounts with
me. From Thanksgiving through the next six months I trained about six
times in six months – On average I have always trained 10-15 hours a
week!! I tried to *cheer* myself up by telling myself my leg was
broken and I really didn’t have the money to train until my next
fund-raiser, anyway. So, better to save my training dollars until I
could use both legs again…. The thing that got me down the most was
knowing my goal is to WALK again. But, from the time I started
exercise-based training in ’06, every time I turned around I had a
broken leg – kinda hard to walk again like that!! I knew my goal for
that period in life was to work through the disappointment so I could
genuinely be positive again!
I was released to use both of my
legs for most exercises in May 2009. It is still painful to use my
leg, and I am out of shape in my upper body from lack of training.
However, slow & steady does reach the goal. My training hours are
still drastically reduced, but it is okay because I have to go slow
right now, anyway, until I get back into shape. Despite nine and a
half months of disuse, all of the muscles in both legs are still
firing!! I have maintained a lot of my strength, balance & upper
body control, and I can still do different hands and knees exercises
with remarkable control.