Hi. I know it's been a while since I've given everyone an update on my rehabilitation. I may comment on alot of people's posts or post something random, but my personal progress is something that I have difficulty sharing.

When we are injured, there is a healing process. Throughout our lives, we experience this in many ways. Whether it's a cut on a finger, a sprained ankle, or a broken arm, we all know how debilitating it feels without the use of all of our faculities. How helpless we feel when the body is not 100%. Most of the time, we do heal, and life is returned to normal. It is not until at an older age that we expect a life changing injury that will impact not only our future, but also our closest friends and family. A stroke or dementia would be one of these things.

A spinal cord injury is also life changing. Let me explain my injury and the effects it has had on my body.

I fractured my C4-C6, which are in my lower neck. The injury was incomplete, meaning that the spinal cord was not severed, but was damaged from the pressure of the injury.

There are a wide range of effects from such an injury, including being paralyzed anywhere below the fracture. Fortunately, I am not.

My symptoms are as follows -

Numbness in both legs and feet, the hands, and random areas of the body. This never changes.

Hyper sensitivity in random areas of the body. Touching the skin feels like a dagger is slicing me. This never changes.

Spasticity - this is in two forms. The first is after waking. When I try to move, my entire body seizes in a spasm that lasts several seconds and I am totally rigid. After I get out of bed, it goes away.

The second form of spasticity varies throughout the body. Imagine fish hooks in a section of muscles, and they are attached to lines being twisted tight with a tourniquet. I get this mostly in the arms, chest, and back. It is also in the calves when I first get up.

My thighs are always tight, and when trying to walk with a walker or going up/down steps it feels like my legs are tree trunks bound with duct tape. They are difficult to move and bend, and every step I take is filled with a fear of falling.

Those of you that know me personally also know that before the accident, I was in excellent physical condition and an avid mountain biker. After the accident, I lost 40 pounds, most of it being muscle. It is like I literally shit it out.

Let's go back to the accident. Right after it happened, I was paralyzed from the neck down. As time progressed, the use of my limbs started returning. One day I could wiggle my toes, the following week I could move my arm. The awareness and use of my bowels returned after a month or so.

The therapists did not think I would regain the use of my fingers, so they didn't bother doing range of motion exercises, and when it did happen, it was too late. My fingers were contracted. Curled up and seized. Through a year of therapy, I am slowly regaining the use of my hands, but the spasticity makes it slow going.

Recovery - once my body started moving again, I had to completely start over. Do you know how a new born baby has no strength in ANY of their muscles? That was me. It's been over a year since the accident, and I am just now starting to be able to go down to the floor and get back up again, but it feels like my body weighs a thousand pounds.

Therapy is only once a week. I do what I can at home. I came home last May and started doing 2.5 pound dumbbell curls. I'm now up to sets of 15 pounds curls.

My body continues to get stronger, but a full recovery seems out of reach. Well, maybe not. I refuse to accept a downward spiral, sitting in a wheelchair for the rest of my life.

Neuroplasticy is the process when neurons learn to do something through repetition, like walking on a treadmill. The body learns to do a repetitive motion,even after a major injury. Walking on a treadmill will help this, once I'm able to get on one.

New medical breakthroughs have discovered ways to regrow/repair nerves using different methods, one of them being stem cell therapy. Others are using different methods.

There is a medical trial going on right now in Chicago that uses a serum that helps the spinal cord grow new fibers and retain autonomous function of the body. Paralyzed mice started to walk again in animal trials. I am looking into this trial. This would require me going to Chicago, alone, for over four months. The study would cover my hotel stay, but there are alot of other costs, including airfare, food, and travel to/from the facility five days a week. I want to do it. It would be scary as hell doing it alone, but what do I have to lose? I would really need help from everyone. I know many of you have already helped support pay my bills when my wife took a five month leave from work when I first came home from the hospital. But if you can help, I will start a GofundMe and Venmo to support this hopeful venture.

I know that this was alot to read, and those of you that made it to the end, I love you all!