Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Another record breaking week!

Well....AS USUAL, I am a few days late in posting on my blog! haha, Please forgive me, I get pretty busy here in Atlanta, and I try to only post when I have a good video or story to share.

Let me start off my telling you about an AMAZING story that happened to me just this past weekend! God has blessed me so much throughout this journey and part of what I feel is my obligation to share with others my blessings and give hope to those who do not have any. It is AMAZING how God works in our lives.

My brother in law Kyle came down to Atlanta so that we could go to the concert of our favorite band. O.A.R. While at the concert,we sat in the ADA seating for wheelchairs. A young girl saw me in my chair and climbed the railing to come talk to me. She asked if I was going to Shepherds? I said, YES I am there for rehab right now in Beyond Therapy and I am working on walking again. She told me that she was JUST at Shepherds that day visiting her friend! She told me that her best friend was in a bad car accident and is currently an INPATIENT at shepherds, she was injured just under a month ago. After sharing with the girl about my accident and my success she desperately wanted me to talk to her friend. She gave me her name and asked me if I could encourage her cause she is going through a rough time. All the doctors were giving her a very slim chance of walking again, based on the severity of her injury. So yesterday I made my way to the hospital and went into her room. I said, "YOU DON'T KNOW ME, BUT YOUR FRIEND AT THE O.A.R. concert said I had to meet you!?" We talked for about an hour! She was so glad that I came to talk to her and said that, it has changed her outlook on her recovery! She said I gave her HOPE when no one else would. I told the girl, that the secret to recovery is through FAITH and PRAYERS and NO DOCTOR, will EVER write you a script for that! I was so glad that God used me the way he did that day. A stranger at a concert, sitting RIGHT in front of me and had a friend who needed comforting at the Shepherd Center.......YOU TELL ME THAT WASN'T GOD WORKING!!??

Now onto my recent progress in BEYOND THERAPY:

Usually, my therapist is always trying to push me further during EACH new walking session. If I walked 276 feet on day, he wants to to shoot for 300 the next. Constantly upping my distance and endurance. Well, on this walk, I not only beat my previous mark, but I destroyed it! I went an extra half a lap around the basketball court! That may not sound like much, but during my first session several weeks ago, I had to sit down once I reached 20 feet. Now I am taking laps around the basketball court without stopping. I am getting less fatigued and I am pushing myself harder during each session!

Also, I have been working on a machine called "the power tower"! This is kind of like the total gym that you see Chuck Norris promoting on the late night infomercials. You lay on a sled and it has pulleys and cables for you to squat your body weight! My therapist has been feeling my muscles in my quads and hams twitch and quiver as I push through my legs! This is good news, it is showing that I am getting some signals to my muscles, they are weak and can no completely contract the muscle, but they are TRYING TO!! They are twitching and quivering TRYING to turn on!

The video below, may look like the ones that I have posted in the past. WELL...PROBABLY, EXACTLY like them, BUT...what you don't see is that I CRUSHED my old distance record in this walk.

PLEASE KEEP PRAYING FOR ME!!
I LOVE YOU ALL,
SO MUCH IN HIM,
BRENT


1 comment:

Dave Reed said...

Brent, what a fabulous story of giving hope!!!! Wow, Iwas really touched. God will continue to use you and someday you will be walking into Shepherd and other Therapy Centers to give hope to people that have given up. Keep up the hrd work and great faith and God will continue to reward you. Thanks for the update.

Dave