May 23, 2016

Craig: the last few weeks of in-patient

What’s up #

It’s been a long time since the last post. JP’s schedule has been packed, nearly 10 hours of rehab therapies and conditioning per day. But he’s made an amazing amount of progress in learning to deal with SCI. In fact, his slogan since April has been putting records out of reach. Whether it’s besting circuit records in group fit class by over a minute, acquiring wheelchair transfer skills months ahead of schedule, or raising the bar for mano a mano beachball in the pool (check out the link), Justin has thrown himself into the day’s challenges with his usual competitiveness, playfulness and gusto.

The days at Craig have not been without their challenges. Because the clinical effects of his injury are effectively at T2 (~2 inches below the armpits), Justin is re-learning to do things like shower and put socks on without the use of his core muscles. Even getting in and out of bed takes a significant amount of focus.

One key area of inspiration for Justin has been all the incredible people he’s met at Craig, many of whom are years out from their injuries but remain closely knit to the Craig community. Getting to meet these “alumni” and see a picture of what is possible down the road has been very exciting. The list goes on, but some of the cool stories include:

A professional mono skier who skies for the US national team (example image of what this looks like here)
A man who has completed the Kona ironman (to accomplish the swim he lashed his legs to a sawed-in-half-lengthwise pvc pipe and dragged them behind him for the 2 mile swim)
The fact that #1 & #2 are the same person
A seasoned photographer and mountain biker who started a successful drone-based videography company.
A professional weight lifter and crossfit athlete who started his own crossfit gym and is gearing up to compete in the power lifting world championships.
One of the top neuro-rehab doctors at Craig, who brings confidence and assurance to patients from a place of deep understanding (from his chair)

Armed with these and numerous other strong stories of hope for life with SCI, and surrounded by such an massive group of loved ones here and far who continue to boost him up when spirits might flag, Justin is charging towards his amended discharge date this coming Thursday, June 2nd (bumped up 2 weeks given his rapid progress). Justin plans to stay local through the summer as an “out-patient,” continuing to use the gym and rehab facilities and to sow into the Craig community that has offered him so much.

And with that, see below for some of the recent highlights.

- Colby (with some help from JP)