Toga Trot 2010

I walked 130 meters in the gait trainer with no knee immobilizers on this year! Pics soon to come on my website or they can be viewed on my facebook page. Thanks.

More frequent updates soon to come......

Left Leg Steps Independent

Hello everyone.... so ive updated my videos on my website. Please check out my independent steps on my left leg. The Lord keeps on blessing me! New pictures from this years toga trot will be posted soon, or can be viewed on my facebook page. Thanks for all your continued support.

Back to Work

I know it has been awhile since I last updated my blog. Things got busy during the holidays & i took a break from therapy for about a month. When i returned to rehab I unfortunately had to have surgery due to an obstruction of my small intestine. This was caused by scar tissue from a previous surgery 14 yrs ago. Thankfully everything turned out well, I'm feeling better & back to working hard in therapy. Amazing things are happening, so I will be updating my website & YouTube videos more frequently. Thanks for your continued support!

Toga Trot

Happy Halloween & Happy "Walking"

On Halloween I walked 50 meters in the Toga Trot which is a 5K race here in Atlanta. It was a lot of fun, and a great experience getting cheered on & supported. Lots of people came out to watch! I was definitely exhausted but it was worth it. It started raining, but as you can imagine it certainly did NOT stop anyone, especially me.

We had 7 people from Center IMT participate & we all received a plaque with our names & accomplishment.... mine was 50 meters!!! After we went for breakfast & it turned out to be an amazing & encouraging weekend. Check out my pics & videos!!!

Five Years

This week has been difficult for me. Last Thursday, October 22nd was my 5 year anniversary of my injury. I tend to get a little depressed this time of year even if I think I wont. I suppose its my subconscious mind knowing all I went through. The memory of a trauma that will always live within me. But the good news is that its only a memory, not a state of being. These past 5 years I have endured a lot but also have grown a lot. Its amazing how a struggle teaches you so much about yourself, life, patience, perseverance, and most of all God's love. I'm growing in ways unimaginable & am excited to see how much I will do in my life because of this.

Five years ago I was so weak, unable to breathe on my own, talk, move, or feel & now I am crawling, sitting up on my own, feeling again, and recently standing (with assistance) and lifting my hip high enough to clear my foot off the ground. So I remain motivated & persistent. The fight continues, because God is great & I have a lot to be thankful for!!!

Lifted Foot

I'm very excited because today I was weight shifting in the gait trainer (a walker with harness). I lifted my left hip high enough to clear my foot off the ground on the left leg!!!!!!! That is awesome because its putting me on the way to taking my first step, wow!!!

Therapy Stages

So another week has gone by & many new things are happening. Of course I am getting stronger everyday but I'd like to briefly explain the stages of recovery at Center IMT.

When I started at IMT in January, 2009 I was classified at a stage 0. I had been doing a lot of therapy prior to that, but the muscle strength I was gaining wasn't working in synergy with the body the way it should. I couldn't hold my shoulder blades in, down, or back. So they were very unstable. If a therapist sat me up tall, I was unable to keep my arms down...the shoulders wanted to come up. However, IMT works to change the structure of the body & put things back in balance to allow the body to heal. Since I started there, I have progressed from stage 0 to 3, and I'm on my way to stage 4. So my shoulders are working much better, and when I get to stage 6, I'll be able to transfer myself in & out of my wheelchair. Stages 0-4 mean that you cant support yourself independently against gravity. Once you get past that, they work on against gravity skills.

It's a slow progression, but it can be compared to a baby. They sit & crawl before they can stand & walk. It is exciting to see that I'm progressing through these stages. Because I'm able to have support in my shoulders, I can stand in the gait trainer with only knee immobilizers on & a strap between my legs to help support the pelvis. Then i work on weight shifting & hiking my hip.

This week my left wrist is also starting to extend against gravity. I'll continue to post new improvements & put pics & videos on YouTube that you can access through my website. Thank you!

(also, to my mr faMous -u know who are- thanks for your encouragement & your amazing ability to make me smile!!!)