Renewed Vigor

Time since I’ve worn the brace (at all): a week

Time since living at RIC: a little over a month

My back is stronger and stronger.  At first I needed to use the back of the brace in my wheelchair since the backrest is terrible.  But now I don’t even need that.  It pretty much sits in my closet, right where I like it.  

I’ve changed up how I walk now that I have AFOs.  Each step, I try to focus my energy into flexing the right muscles in each leg.  Now that I can bend my knees when I walk, I can focus on the quads, straighten the leg, then try pushing off with the foot and calf.  The lifting and bending of the leg is much, much harder.  They still stay pretty straight.  If I go super slow I can bend the right leg in the air.  My steps are more sure, now.  I rarely clank the metal parts against each other and I don’t “hop” unless I’m going faster.  Yesterday I split up the workout into two sessions and set a new PR of 1700 ft.  Pretty happy since that was with AFOs but I still want to do more and focus on my form; bend the legs more.

I think I’m gonna try going up stairs soon.  I saw on youtube how to do it in a wheelchair, too.  I’ll probably just try both - with just AFOs and with the wheelchair.  It’ll take a little planning to make sure I don’t risk anything - so we’ll see.  Sometime this coming week, maybe.

Right now I’m in the middle of something like 5-6 books.  I’ve always been one to read a book until it’s finished so this is weird.  So when I added yet another book to the mix the other day, I decided to plow through it.  It’s called Rise and Walk by Dennis Byrd.  He’s the Jets player that was paralyzed from a huge hit into another teammate in 1992.  He doesn’t have the same injury as me (he is C5, I am T12) and it seems his spinal cord wasn’t damaged as much, but it was still a good read.  And motivational.  The way he played football and the way he trained was in a way to make sure there was nobody out there doing as much as he was.  My favorite part is how in high school he wanted to practice hitting, so he but a wooden post in his yard and just get hitting it for hours until he was bleeding, exhausted, and crying.  There’s a movie about him out there, too… I think I watched it forever ago.  

Dennis had amazing faith in God all throughout his injury, which resonates with me.  It made it far easier for him to push himself in therapy, to go about daily life, etc.  Same as me.  And, similar to me, even with all that, he still had extremely trying days and felt bouts of depression and loss.  

His recovery sounds much like Ivan’s, an inpatient with me I may have mentioned that came here from Panama to get the finest care.  Ivan was also a higher level injury, but it was what they call central cord syndrome. It means the center of the cord is damaged more than the outside.  Really rare, but the result is that the return in the legs is more than the upper body.  Both people mentioned have upper body return, as well, but they were able to walk with just a walker after just a couple months.  Also it’s natural walking, not like me where my tone helps out a ton.  Mark Stephan, the cool guy I mentioned on RIC’s board, has the same thing.  

There was a really good quote that Dennis attributed to Arthur Ashe.  It was his best example of how to respond when people say, “Why me?”  It’s the most troublesome, deep, question that is asked by patients of all severe illnesses and injuries.  Why me?  Why did this have to happen to me?  Why didn’t it happen to the jerk down the street?  Arthur was ranked #1 in tennis in 1968.  Later he had heart bypass surgery where he contracted HIV during a blood transfusion.  There are two things I think about when this question comes up now:

1. Arthur’s response, “If I say “Why me?’ then I’ve got to say ‘Why me?’ about all the good things that have happened in my life.”


2. God knew I had the strength and faith to get through this and be that much stronger for it and better-suited to do His will.  

Thanks to this book, I am once again motivated to try that much harder in my recovery.  I can do more.  I will do more.  I will walk again.  Heck, I’m already walking, just really slow and not entirely of my own accord.  

Anyway, some people are coming over soon and I need to make a run to Jewel to get some food to grill and whatnot.  Some of the folks coming over were inpatients at RIC with me!  Tony, Kip, maybe Jayme… I’m psyched to see them!  I hope you all have a great Sunday!

Chip