Michael was in his own prison. His condition was critical and he nearly didn’t make it through the 1st 24 hours. He had a severe traumatic brain injury, along with a fractured pelvis and both legs fractured above and below the knees. He was in a coma for weeks and spent the 1st 5 weeks in ICU, having a rocky, unstable course. We were told he would probably be a vegetable. He spent another 7 ½ months of inpatient sub-acute and rehab care, where he received 3 hours of therapy 6 days a week. He began slowing waking up more, responding more, then talking, then eating regular food, and finally ready to go home 9 months after his initial injuries.

He loves going to Challenge Center and has had many breakthroughs in his progress towards his dream of walking again. He works hard and has fun too, as the staff enjoys and employs a great sense of humor. They are innovative and creative, always coming up with interesting and challenging ideas, and spurring Michael on to do his best. Often he discovers he can do a lot more than he thought he could!

Last year he progressed from a wheelchair to using a walker independently. This year the goal is to progress to walking without the walker. His success with walking at Challenge Center with his therapists has just taken another leap of progress!

Michael says, “Walking is AWESOME! EXCELLENT! FANTASTIC! AND SPECTACULAR! I can see past accomplishments, my progress continues and I know I’ll keep reaching to achieve more. I want to run as fast as I used to. I’m even taking guitar lessons, looking forward to playing in a group. I can improve at everything because I’m not afraid of hard work – that’s my job!