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Hi there. As you probably know, my boyfriend is recently at C6/7 incomplete. The rehab that he is at, is free because we live in Canada, but they want to send him home early. His work has offered to raise money to send him to any rehab center that he wants to go to. Just wondering what you all feel are the best ones out there? Thanks for any help!!
Jenny:
My son is a C6 Incomplete and is doing rehab at Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Center in Michigan. They have recently started an advanced theraphy that includes electronic stimulation and the weight bearing philosphy. My son loves it and everyone there is so friendly and you feel like you are among family & friends. Another place I would recommend and hope to have my son go there next year is the Kennedy Krieger Center in Baltimore, Maryland. This is where they treat Christopher Reeves (Superman). We have visited KKC and it is really a nice place. They only cater to adults via outpatient. We also checked out the one in Ann Arbor Michigan and Chicago and found them very sterile and not very friendly. My son went to MFB right after the hospital and was there for 3 mths. He then was discharged and sent home to do therapy locally but we ended up back there because of the program and the facility and staff. If you need more information, let me know. Hopefully this helps. Take care and God Bless.
I went to Magee Rehab in Philadelphia, PA. They are linked with Thomas Jefferson Hospital. They are absolutely one of the top 8 in the USA (This is a low estimate.). They are 1 of only 8 facilities that do locomotor training (walking retraining) correctly. Your boyfriend would love this place! They are on the cutting edge of all research and treatment. God bless you both. Never give up!
Craig Hospital in Colorado is the best SCI Rehab in the country. Shepard is very good as well. Both offer superior rehab and good recreation and sports programs. C 6/7 incomplete is an injury that really needs good rehab for the best results and avoiding complications. Choose well, get there asap. Good luck.
I'm sure that each person who has had "success" at whatever rehab facility they attended would recommend that facility. I can only speak to the facility that our son attended and WALKED OUT OF without the use of any support devices, after being told by the doctors in Spain (where he was injured while running with the bulls in Pamplona), in Charlotte, NC and in Atlanta, GA that he would not walk again.
Thank God that neither our son nor the Therapists at the SHEPHERD CENTER listened to the doctors. I can not recommend a rehab facility more highly than the Shepherd Center. The therapists (All disciplines) who work there are EXCEPTIONAL! They are very well trained, energentic, enthusiastic, have the newest therapies and equipment available to them and they get the most out of each patient that there is to get.
I KNOW what you are going through, and I KNOW that regardless of the "medical" personnel, facilities, etc., available, the ONLY thing that matters (other than belief and prayer) are the therapists and you can do no better for your son and he can do no better for himself than getting to Shepherd as quickly as humanly possible.
Wish you all God speed and please tell your son to never give up.
Hi Jenny, our godsent was shepherd in Atlanta. They will teach him everything he needs to know and if there is anything to get back they will work him hard to get as much a possible.
Good Luck
Toni
Hi, Jenny. I just want to be another voice for the work that Sheperd Center in Atlanta is doing. In addition to their expertise, they show a lot of caring. The medical director is a real patient advocate! Marie
Thank you everyone for your replies! they are very helpful!
MY daughter was at Shepherds as well and she also walked out! She was a t Shepherds for 3 months as an inpatient and then for 2 months in the out patient program. She still has her problems with her right side but Shepherds have been right there beside her every step of the way. We are 1 1/2 year after her accident and she still goes there for her out patient appointments. She was part of the NRN study funded through the Christopher Reeves Foundation. The staff at Shepherds were wonderful, patient and caring with not only her but with me as well. They took the time to see how I was and helped me learn and cope as well.
I would recommend any rehab that is connected to The Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation. They are on the cutting edge of moving people forward from wherever they are at. I have read stories on that sight about a 16 year old girl that was a quad for two years & they got her up & walking again. I read of a two year old child that became a quad in an accident that is now up & walking. I am sure there are many more stories such as these, but these are the only ones I have heard about. Good luck on your search & God Bless you
Hi, Just can't say it enough -- Shepherd Center was just perfect for my son's rehab, as well as ours (family members). My son has a C4-5 injury, and within days of discharge from intensive care in Boston and admission to Shepherd, we were out together at an evening outing. All staff were incredibly competent and caring -- everyone from the therapists, doctors, cna's, nurses, cafeteria, gift shop and library! Now, almost 7 years post-injury my son still benefits from what he learned there, not only the physical but also the emotional and mental health aspects. I, as his mom, learned everything I needed to know to help with his care and understand the injury. Go for it if you can!
You may also look into the Frazier Rehabilitation Institute in Louisville, KY. Fantastic place with one of the best SCI research minds in field. No matter where you choose you are making the right decision for your situation. Just taking the time to research and ask questions is helpful to your loved one. Just keep him working hard and never give up. No matter where you go, never settle and keep making them work for you. Make sure you know all the costs in advance and have your financial situation worked out so that your boyfriend is able to stay for at least a few months. Good luck and keep up the hard work. It's not easy and you are only rewarded for hard work in this situation. Let us know where you choose so that if it is someplace that anyone on this thread has gone they can help you with contacts at that facility and let people know you are coming so that you are on your feet with a support group when you get there...not just in the center. Happy New Year!
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