Service.

At my work there is a patient named Travis trying to regain the ability to walk. He had a spinal cord injury from falling out of a second story window and broken his upper back. For four months he had to wear a TLSO which is kind of like a hard plastic turtle shell to support and brace his back while it healed. From his injuries he has paralyzed but miraculously he regained sensation, and since April he has been working on regaining his ability to walk. It has been a long road of recovery I remember when I first worked with him he never complained of the pain and was always so positive and thankful to all of those who would help him in some way. He uses a device to help his right leg come into dorsi flexion (being about to lift his foot during walking) so that he can walk. The problem is these are very costly ranging in the thousands of dollars, and even more simpler models are hundreds of dollars because they have to be medical grade. Because Travis's insurance won't cover it he isn't able the afford this he has a hard time trying to move around when he is home. Without this device his toes drag behind and he can't swing his leg forward without tripping, and more importantly he isn't able to do this therapy at his home so his rehabilitation is slowed down.

I wanted to help in some way, so I went to the hardware store and found the necessary things to make this dorsi assist device. I put the it together and tested it our and it worked really well in all actuality. When I presented him with this gift he looked in the bag for a receipt, to pay me back. But I told him it was a Christmas present and his face lit up and he said it was the most thoughtful gift he had ever received. He and his wife graciously thanked me graciously.

I know it wasn't a huge thing that I did but I was grateful to be able to help in some way. I know he still has a long road ahead of him and the chances of actually regaining all of his ability to walk is uncertain. I am glad that I could help him out in some way, because he has been such a great example to me of being positive and focusing on the things that matter most in life.

lants