君主物理治疗礼物艾滋病康复

2017年9月22日

Michael Sheffield works on the machine his 家庭 donated to Monarch Physical Therapy. Michael Sheffield, assisted by his father, undergoes treatment at Monarch Physical Therapy.

By 欧文B. 哈勒尔

When Michael Sheffield rolls into ODU Monarch Physical Therapy clinic on Mondays and Wednesdays at noon, 他带来了大量的阳光. 与它一起，他有时是由妈妈陪同, 爸爸, 朋友, 通常是由邻居提供的，他们也从诊所的护理中受益. 谢菲尔德是决心和谦逊的典范.

A paraplegic — injured in an accident in 2016 — with limited use of his upper body, Sheffield clenches his teeth and closes his eyes intermittently as he battles to strengthen is upper body under the care of both professional physical therapists and ODU students in training. Sheffield tempers his drive with an occasional smile and a little humor - but make no mistake of his rigid resolve.

难道不是为了他的朋友圈吗, 家庭, Community和君主PT, 他说, 他的伤势将是毁灭性的. And he has made it his mission to thank everyone through his dedication to his therapy and by giving back to those invested in his recovery.

"The only way that I initially could think of to pay back all the generosity that I received was to take my rehabilitation as seriously as a person can take it; to put every single ounce of energy I could into it,他说. “我还在做，但是 ... the next step in showing my appreciation is to try my best to share that with other people."

作为对君主PT的感激之情, 谢菲尔德最近筹集了39美元,000 and donated it to the clinic through Eggleston 服务s for the purchase of a cutting-edge piece of equipment that helps those with debilitating spinal cord or head injuries. Eggleston为汉普顿路的残疾人提供服务.

"Words cannot adequately express my deep appreciation to you and your 家庭 for your generosity,Lisa Koperna说, 诊所主任.

而且还不止于此. 谢菲尔德正计划今年秋天为君主PT举办另一场筹款活动. The details are still being worked out but he envisions something in Norfolk with a scavenger hunt, 事实证明，2016年为他举办的一场筹款活动非常受欢迎.

bet8体育娱乐入口 and Eggleston have planned a reception showcasing the clinic's advancement for treating individuals with neurologic injuries on Sept. 25岁，在ODU君主物理治疗.

一个改变人生的时刻

去年冬天的一个晚上，在当地一家武馆, a Jiu jitsu maneuver changed Sheffield's way of life and the lives of those connected to him.

“我们在做演习, 我的搭档抓住了我的脚踝, 把它们扔到我头上，同时掉在我身上, 它扭断了我的脖子,他说. “这是一起离奇的事故."

谢菲尔德从泰拳之家被送到诺福克综合医院. A surgeon there called his mother to let her know surgery was imminent and urgent. 波比·谢菲尔德随后从弗吉尼亚海滩的家中前往诺福克.

“当我听到发生的事情时，我无法和迈克说话，”她说. “我很伤心，很担心. I told the doctor that I was praying for him as well and to tell Mike that I loved him."

波比打电话给她的丈夫, 大卫当时在佛罗里达，她打电话给她的大儿子耶利米, 让他们知道发生了什么. 她还打电话给她的牧师, who came to the hospital and sat with her and two of Michael's martial arts buddies in a waiting room during the six-hour operation.

"It's a really scary time because you have such high hopes that surgery is going to fix everything and he's going to be OK when he comes out,她说. “但是手术后的第一天, they said there was a real good chance that he would have to be put on a ventilator and a feeding tube and of course that's not something you want to hear. 我们问“多久”，他们说可能是永远. 那是一段艰难的时期."

波比·谢菲尔德说，早期的检查显示她有轻微的运动. Incomplete injuries made it more favorable for recovery, but active rehabilitation was the key.

大卫的手机里有一张迈克尔的照片, 他儿子手术后的照片，身上挂着管子. 形势往好了说也很糟糕. “我没有给他看这个，”他说. “但事情就是这么糟糕."

手术后, the 家庭 was told that it would be better if Michael was intubated to support his respiration, 哪一种会在一天中逐渐减少, 波比谢菲尔德说. 迈克尔经历的周期性发烧也使事情变得复杂.

“它们高达107.5度，”迈克尔说.

迈克尔在诺福克综合医院待了将近一个月才被释放. 家人疯狂地寻找一个可以让他康复的地方, 但保险是一个反复出现的问题. 一个邻居告诉他们亚特兰大的牧羊人中心, 世界著名的神经和神经肌肉RESEARCH机构. 大卫很喜欢他所听到的，但保险又不包括在内.

“我们还去了其他几个地方，但感觉不太好，”大卫说. 但谢泼德还是不停地走过来.谢泼德希望预付16.3万美元，他补充道.

迈克尔说，他的妹妹贝瑟妮·沃恩(Bethany Vaughan)创建了一个资助我的页面. "She wrote a letter saying that if someone could give us a loan, we would pay them back,他说.

"I have been reflecting on all the times Michael has asked me to scratch his nose or wipe his tears for him as he lays in the bed unable to do it for himself,她在自己的主页上写道. “我和我的家人对这种情况感到谦卑，并请求你的帮助."

A member of the 家庭's church introduced 大卫 to someone among the congregation and "they wrote us a check for $200,000,他说. “我们六个月就还清了."

Michael spent 10 weeks at the Shepherd Center and was released, the day before his 30th birthday. 他们在亚特兰大的时候, 大卫 and Bobbi were taught by the Shepherd staff how to care for Michael upon his release, 但是他们仍然害怕.

"We thought we were going to be in Shepherd Center till March and they say he's going to be discharged and you say 'Mike's in a 500 pound chair. 我们怎么把他弄进去? 我们要做什么?’”大卫说。. “这只是一个你从未想过自己需要思考的想法. 没有一个简单的答案."

宝芬妮丈夫的公司也参与了进来, renovating part of the Sheffield's' house to create an indoor ramp and easy access to Michael. “这是我们自己的谢菲尔德中心，”博比说.

恢复之路导致君主物理治疗

当谢菲尔德一家回到弗吉尼亚海滩时, 迈克尔开始在森塔拉进行康复治疗，每周三次，持续了大约一个月. Upon release from Sentara, the 家庭 began scouting for other options going forward. 然后特别的事情发生了. 大卫, 安妮公主基督教青年会的董事会成员, was asked to give the devotional at a board meeting and he shared Michael's story and what the 家庭 was up against.

会议结束后, the YMCA director got me in touch with the lady who was in charge of all of the capital campaigns with the Y in South Hampton Roads,他说. "She told me she knew of another 家庭 who had a son with a spinal cord injury and said he was being helped at Old Dominion."

大卫 called Koperna that afternoon and she invited him to bring Michael the next day. “这太神奇了，”他说. "And then we told our next-door neighbor about it, and Lisa invited her to come too."

迈克尔不仅对他从君主PT获得的帮助赞不绝口, 还有他的隔壁邻居所获得的进步. “我马上就知道他们能帮助她，”他说. “我想，‘她比我更需要它，她无处可去.'"

两个多月了, 谢菲尔德一家在君主PT找到了一个家外之家, 迈克尔似乎是越来越强的访问访问.

“迈克尔的康复是爱的力量的鼓舞人心的证明, 医学, 和奇迹,Koperna说.

His physical and occupational therapy is intermixed with exercises on the special piece of equipment his generosity made possible. 迈克尔说，给他留下深刻印象的不仅仅是专业水平, 但是诊所的哲学. 总而言之，他将自己的治疗经历描述为“梦幻般的”."

“他们的大门永远是敞开的. 作为一个RESEARCH机构, they want to disprove the model of short-term rehabilitation for spinal cord injuries,他说. “他们想表明，应该推动更长时间的更多护理."