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An epic in the making...
I have a story to tell you that is not my own. I wasn’t there for the beginning of it. I have made a brief appearance in the middle. And it is my sincerest belief that I won’t be at the end of the story either. My part in this tale is small, but I have an incredible view from where I am sitting.And so it begins...
On the third day of June, 2005 a child’s life would be drastically changed. Chase Ford was playing with his brother, and while jumping on his couch, fell backwards and hit his head on the arm. The hit was in such a way that Chase suffered a spinal contusion that ran nearly the full length of his spinal cord. In an instant, Chase was transformed from a child that was running and playing into a child that couldn’t move. After spending four days in the pediatric intensive care unit, Chase was only able to move his eyes. After two weeks he regained some arm function, was able to look side to side, but was unable to move his legs. Imagine how Chase’s mom, Renee, felt when one day she has a child who can run and play and the next day she is listening to doctors tell her that her child will never walk again.A decision to be made...
Fate would have it that a new research program that focused on spinal cord injury rehabilitation had literally just opened in the area. It was designed from information garnered from rats and cats and put into a protocol that would be beneficial for humans. The therapy focused on taking advantage of programming in the spinal cord that helps control walking. The idea goes something like this; cats that have had an injury to their spinal cord could regain the function of walking if they were supported over a treadmill and their legs were moved for them in stepping motions. A doctor from California saw the potential benefit of applying this toward humans. Adult humans. Nowhere had anyone applied this to a child, let alone one as small as Chase. There was no data for top scientists to refer to in order to have some basic idea where to go. Without knowing whether or not Chase would receive any benefit from this therapy, Renee had to make a decision. Would she accept what professionals in the medical community told her about her child’s prognosis, or would she choose a rehab strategy that offered hope but little in the way of hard evidence for pediatrics?Every journey begins with a single step...
One month after his injury, Chase began his rehabilitation. It involved him being supported over a treadmill and his team would move his legs and hips to simulate walking. The hope is that given enough time and quality training, Chase’s body would be retrained to walk again. Chase was stepped on the treadmill for 60 minutes and immediately afterwards, his team would try to get him to perform even the simplest of tasks. He couldn’t walk, couldn’t stand, he couldn’t even sit. But later, back in his hospital bed, Chase was able to hold his head up for the first time since injury. It wasn’t much, but it was a start.Stranger than fiction...
Chase’s therapy continued in this fashion for over a year. During that time, Chase began to slowly get control of his trunk, muscles in his legs began to have function, and he just started feeling better. All of these changes are a result of the nerves in his spinal cord reorganizing. Chase was literally being rebuilt. His first big breakthrough was his ability to stand while holding onto a big toy truck. This was quickly followed by his ability to walk with a walker. His didn’t move the same as other kids his age, but he was finally able to move by himself.No looking back...
Fast forward six months and Chase can stand for as long as he wants and can walk for minutes at a time before losing his balance. His favorite game at the moment is Red Light-Green Light, although he isn’t much for stopping when we say red light. Now that he can walk, it’s one of the only things he wants to do. His recovery has been nothing short of a miracle.It takes a village...
Over the last two years, Chase has been lucky enough to have many different therapists with unique viewpoints and skill sets that have brought him to where he is today. No one person had anymore influence than another. It was the collective idea that we as a team could rebuild this child’s life that made this team so special.Hope for the future...
Although Chase started on this path to recovery on his own, he has left in his wake a trail for others to follow. Our goal is to raise awareness for those dealing with spinal cord injuries. We are attempting to do this by entering the Kentucky Derby Mini-Marathon. Chase will walk as much as he can, and when he needs a break, he will be put in a stroller and pushed by a team member. As soon as he is up to it, he we start walking on his own again. All proceeds go to funding research that will help find an answer for spinal cord injuries.