Help get an FES Cycle for Pastor Danny.
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We are the Women of The Way Church in Pace, Florida. https://www.thewaypace.org
In October of 2017, our pastor, Danny Gilroy, was struck by a sudden illness that rendered him a quadriplegic in a matter of hours.
Pastor Danny has fought hard to heal, but continues to face many obstacles in his recovery. Regardless of that, he was back in the pulpit two days after leaving the hospital after being there two months. Even though he works every day to improve his condition along with fulfilling the daily obligations for his position as our pastor, in the two years since his return, he has only taken two Sunday's off. His brave fight inspires us every day, so we, as the women of his congregation, want to do something to help in his fight to walk again.
Pastor Danny preaching the message at his son's Baccalaureate service.
Pastor Danny has a condition called Transverse Myelitis. It is a condition where a person's immune system, in reacting to something, attacks the spine causing inflammation. This damages the spine causing weakness and paralysis. There are many people with TM who are able to walk and live life with minor limitations, and there are others, like Pastor Danny, whose TM attack was so significant that it completely physically disables them. Pastor Danny is currently a C6/C7 Quadriplegic. He is paralyzed from he mid-chest down and has no use of his hands. His arms are weak, but he does have good use of them. This is particularly sad for us because we no longer get to hear him play guitar as he helped lead our worship weekly. He can still preach, though. He says as long as he can talk, he can preach, so he will continue.
Here Pastor Danny is getting in some PT at home playing adapted corn hole with his son.
At his last appointment with his neurologist, a TM specialist out of prestigious University of Alabama Birmingham Medical Center, Danny was told to start using an FES Cycle (Functional Electronic Stimulation) as much as possible. His doctor shared that new research is showing that people like Danny can seriously benefit from the process the cycle runs. Many are seeing significant improvement by regularly using the electrical stimulation it provides to the muscles and neurological system as they "ride".
Danny's first "ride" on an FES Cycle at The Seven Project, an adaptive fitness gym he attends.
The point if this type of devise is to send electrical stimulation to the muscles in the legs (and arms if using the hand bike feature) as they pedal the "bike". The stimulation makes the muscles work to peddle. The cycle will assist with the peddling slowly removing the assistance as the muscles begin to react to the stimulation. This encourages reconnection of neuro-pathways through the muscles to the spine and ultimately to the brain. It takes time, LOTS of time, and many, many "rides" to see gains.
Pastor Danny is able to use the FES equipment at his gym The Seven Project, as seen above, but his time is limited, and he cannot use the equipment as often as he needs. Having an FES cycle at home would allow him to use the equipment daily, which is recommended by all the research on FES stimulation and paralysis.
An FES Cycle has many short term benefits to the rider other than just the long term benefit of reconnecting neuro-pathways and ultimately regaining mobility. An FES cycle provides much needed cardiovascular exercise, conditioning for flexibility and mobility of usually immobile joints and muscles, reduced atrophy, increased circulation, and improved bone density and muscle mass, among so many others. It is one of the few ways immobile people can get true exercise.
We want to provide one of the devices for our pastor, but we are a small church with limited means. We need help. We have raised some of the money, but these essential devises are about $15,000 to $18,000. That's a lot of bake sales and rummage sales and at the rate we are going will take several years. He needs this now. Pastor Danny needs to be on this devise today, not two years from today.
Please consider helping us get this essential equipment for our pastor. THANK YOU!!!
For more info on FES, click this link: Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation: Functional Electrical Stimulation
In October of 2017, our pastor, Danny Gilroy, was struck by a sudden illness that rendered him a quadriplegic in a matter of hours.
Pastor Danny has fought hard to heal, but continues to face many obstacles in his recovery. Regardless of that, he was back in the pulpit two days after leaving the hospital after being there two months. Even though he works every day to improve his condition along with fulfilling the daily obligations for his position as our pastor, in the two years since his return, he has only taken two Sunday's off. His brave fight inspires us every day, so we, as the women of his congregation, want to do something to help in his fight to walk again.
Pastor Danny preaching the message at his son's Baccalaureate service. Pastor Danny has a condition called Transverse Myelitis. It is a condition where a person's immune system, in reacting to something, attacks the spine causing inflammation. This damages the spine causing weakness and paralysis. There are many people with TM who are able to walk and live life with minor limitations, and there are others, like Pastor Danny, whose TM attack was so significant that it completely physically disables them. Pastor Danny is currently a C6/C7 Quadriplegic. He is paralyzed from he mid-chest down and has no use of his hands. His arms are weak, but he does have good use of them. This is particularly sad for us because we no longer get to hear him play guitar as he helped lead our worship weekly. He can still preach, though. He says as long as he can talk, he can preach, so he will continue.
Here Pastor Danny is getting in some PT at home playing adapted corn hole with his son. At his last appointment with his neurologist, a TM specialist out of prestigious University of Alabama Birmingham Medical Center, Danny was told to start using an FES Cycle (Functional Electronic Stimulation) as much as possible. His doctor shared that new research is showing that people like Danny can seriously benefit from the process the cycle runs. Many are seeing significant improvement by regularly using the electrical stimulation it provides to the muscles and neurological system as they "ride".
Danny's first "ride" on an FES Cycle at The Seven Project, an adaptive fitness gym he attends.The point if this type of devise is to send electrical stimulation to the muscles in the legs (and arms if using the hand bike feature) as they pedal the "bike". The stimulation makes the muscles work to peddle. The cycle will assist with the peddling slowly removing the assistance as the muscles begin to react to the stimulation. This encourages reconnection of neuro-pathways through the muscles to the spine and ultimately to the brain. It takes time, LOTS of time, and many, many "rides" to see gains.
Pastor Danny is able to use the FES equipment at his gym The Seven Project, as seen above, but his time is limited, and he cannot use the equipment as often as he needs. Having an FES cycle at home would allow him to use the equipment daily, which is recommended by all the research on FES stimulation and paralysis.
An FES Cycle has many short term benefits to the rider other than just the long term benefit of reconnecting neuro-pathways and ultimately regaining mobility. An FES cycle provides much needed cardiovascular exercise, conditioning for flexibility and mobility of usually immobile joints and muscles, reduced atrophy, increased circulation, and improved bone density and muscle mass, among so many others. It is one of the few ways immobile people can get true exercise.
We want to provide one of the devices for our pastor, but we are a small church with limited means. We need help. We have raised some of the money, but these essential devises are about $15,000 to $18,000. That's a lot of bake sales and rummage sales and at the rate we are going will take several years. He needs this now. Pastor Danny needs to be on this devise today, not two years from today.
Please consider helping us get this essential equipment for our pastor. THANK YOU!!!
For more info on FES, click this link: Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation: Functional Electrical Stimulation
Organizer and beneficiary
Women of The Way
Organizer
Milton, FL
Mary Heidel
Beneficiary