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Well we’ve been home for 2 weeks today, Issey is finally over the rotten gastric bug that she picked up on the plane, and regained her vitality. Our ambitious plans to continue the therapy routine were rudely disrupted for a good week, back we’re back on track. A trip to Rebel Sport to purchase some basic exercise equipment, including the essential bosu ball, straps, balls, allowed us, well Dave and Issey, to continue working on Issey’s core strength, stretching, and activating her muscles in all the various planes. The FES cycle is an integral piece of equipment that Issey is using 3 – 4 times a week. Every time she uses that her legs soften enormously, the spasming is reduced, and she can stretch her hamstrings out better than ever. Of equal importance, Issey’s mood lifts as well. We need to purchase some other key pieces of equipment like a Total Gym, which will allow Isabel to engage her gluteals and work on her quad strength.
I also wanted to share some excerpts from Isabel’s Project Walk exit report as a way to thank everyone who helped us get there.
…..” It is more than apparent that you have the motivation, drive, and support necessary to continue through your recovery. You have already made obvious improvements……Please keep in mind that recovery is a life long process that you will be constantly working at to maintain the function and abilities you have achieved. You have all the pieces necessary to recover function, you just need some help putting them together. Keep working hard!
So its all pretty cool. There’s lots of work to be done, and the challenge is fitting the ‘Recovery program into a balanced life.
I also wanted to tell you about another clinic we went to the Saturday before we came home… Awakenings. http://www.awakeningshealth.org/ Here we were equally impressed, and blown away by the generosity of Laura Kirch and Adam Gries. These guys have a clinic similar to Project Walk, where they have a core belief that recovery from spinal cord injury is possible. Laura herself had an accident and had a C5/6 injury, and was confined to a wheelchair. The day we met her, there was no sign or legacy of that at all, she is proof that recovery is possible. Anyway Awakenings has their own ’stamp’ on their program. They too focus on the physical exercise recovery, with a stronger emphasis on the holistic healing of the individual, supporting them with acupuncture, massage, counselling and an individualised approach.
We sat and talked for a couple of hours with them, whislt Laura gave Isabel a Thai massage, which looked heavenly. Laura noted Isabel’s tight hamstrings, and re emphasised the importance of breaking down the tightness as much as we can. She told us of patients who had also had this problem who had been able to resolve it with the exercise, acupuncture and massage. Each of us knew of others who had undergone surgery to correct the problem, only to find that the surgery had created another problem.
The beautiful energy of Laura and Adam touched us all. They are offering a wonderful program for those with ‘neurological disorders’.



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